When should you brush your teeth in the morning?

Your alarm goes off. You stretch your arms out before getting out of bed. Maybe you check your phone. Then what?

There are two types of people: those who wake up and brush their teeth right away and those who go through some of their morning routine, waiting to brush after a cup of coffee or  breakfast.

So which one is the right way? There's only one right answer!

You should brush your teeth before you eat or drink anything.

You know when you wake up with morning breath? That yucky taste in your mouth is caused from bacteria that grows in your mouth overnight.  When you brush first thing in the morning, you prepare your mouth for the day, cleaning and ridding it of the bacteria that accumulated from the night before. If you eat before brushing your teeth, you're essentially feeding the bacteria (gross) and then eating it. No thank you!

While pre or post-breakast brushers tend to be set in their ways, the answer really comes down to health and science. Brushing first thing in the morning cleanses the bacteria with a flouride toothpaste, eliminating plagque and bacteria build up. At the same time, it coats your enamel with an important protective barrier so when you do eat, your teeth are protected.

If you're really set on brushing after your eat or have your coffee too, wait at least 30 minutes after eating to brush, otherwise you're brushing /running the acids from your foods and drink directly into your teeth, which is not healthy for your enamel.