This might sound dumb but it noticed it the other day. Everyone knows that the last drink you want to drink after brushing your teeth is some OJ. I did the opposite, downed some juice and then brushed my teeth and it didn’t give that same horrific taste. I guess the flair is chemistry.
In: Chemistry
One of the active ingredients in toothpaste is sodium lauryl sulphate, which is a chemical that adds the foaming property and breaks down fats. After brushing your teeth, some of the SLS remains bound to your taste buds. Acid can break down SLS. I’m not sure what the chemical formula equates to, but basically sulphur is the main element that can trigger bitter tastes, so the equation separates that element in some degree after being exposed to citric acid.
When you do it the other way around, you’re less at risk because citric acid does not bind to the taste buds to stick around in the same way as SLS. You may get a very small amount of bitterness, but it is not to the same degree, and the usual flavor chemicals in toothpaste can quickly mask that taste.
Toothpaste makes orange juice taste bad (by enhancing the bitterness and blocking the sweetness), but orange juice doesn’t make toothpaste taste bad.
It’s bad for you teeth. The acid softens the surface of your teeth so it can be damaged from the toothbrush.
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