You may not think that brushing after every meal is all that important for your oral health, but it is. Even though the time between lunch and dinner is far less than the time between dinner and breakfast, the food you eat at lunch time still has plenty of time to leave a film of plaque on your teeth.

Plaque is that sticky clear or slightly whitish film that builds on your teeth after eating. Left unchecked, can lead to dental cavities, gum disease or other periodontal problems. The microorganisms that make up plaque are almost entirely bacteria and are normally harmless. But if you don't  remove plaque by regular toothbrushing, these  microorganisms build up in a thick layer and start producing acids that can not only cause cavities and gum disease but eat away at your tooth enamel as well.

Saliva is also unable to penetrate the build up of plaque and thus cannot act to neutralize the acid produced by the bacteria and remineralize the tooth surface, which is why brushing after every meal is so essential to keeping your mouth healthy.