Ever had the dilemma, to brush or not to brush pre-breakfast? Fear not, we got your back (and teeth), let’s bust this myth.

Is there anything worse than waking up to a mouth that tastes and smells like a dumpster? That's just your friendly neighborhood bacteria having a field day while you sleep. Fight back by brushing first thing in the morning. But how do you combat the citrus-mint cocktail if you're a fruit-in-the-morning kind of person? Well, prepare to face the after-effects which might not be very appealing.

And that’s not all - add an acidic or sugary breakfast to the mix, and you're serving your enamel on a silver platter. You might think, "Hey, I'll just attack the acids with my toothbrush." But alas, the American Dental Association (ADA) urges you to hold your horses. They suggest waiting an hour post acidic meal before you brush. This is so your saliva gets a chance to re-equilibrate and harden the enamel again, brushing just after eating, you risk actually brushing the acids into your teeth, accelerating enamel erosion.

So, brushing post breakfast does have its perks, like immediately getting rid of the dreaded food particles. And that helps avoid tickets to the plaque city, saving your teeth from decay.

Surely by now, you’re baffled as hell, right? So, how do we solve this conundrum? The answer might just be as simple as you adapting a routine that’s easily repeatable. The key is making sure you get rid of food leftover and preventing the plaque buildup post meals. You could do a quick brush before brekkie and then brush again with more gusto afterward.

Got braces? It's even more critical. Brushing becomes your knight in shining armor. The American Association of Orthodontists suggests brushing for two minutes post meals and prior to sleep. When in a crunch, a swift rinse with fresh water could also come in handy.

The ADA recommends brushing twice a day with a soft-bristled though it may put you back a bit financially, electric and battery-powered toothbrushes could potentially be your secret weapon against plaque.

Brushing before or after breakfast truly depends on your personal preference and diet. If brushing before means starting your day off bacteria-free, go for it. If you loathe the taste of toothpaste-coffee-fruit ménage à trois in the morning, brush post meals, just remember to wait a bit if the meal was acidic.

In the end, your teeth don’t care when you brush, as long as you do it right and regularly. So go on, achieve that sparkling smile that even puts Colgate models to shame.