If you've ever had something to eat or drink right after brushing your teeth, you know what we're talking about. Suddenly that sweet, tangy orange juice tastes... bitter and weird. Most other foods are a little off, too. Why is that?
According to Mental Floss, it's all the fault of sodium laureth sulfate, also known as sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). These chemicals are known as surfactants, and they're what make items like toothpaste, shampoo, and detergents foamy and easy to swish around. But they also mess with our taste buds by making things taste less sweet and more bitter than they normally would be. Here's how:
[Surfactants] suppress the receptors on our taste buds that perceive sweetness, inhibiting our ability to pick up the sweet notes of food and drink. And, as if that wasn't enough, they break up the phospholipids on our tongue. These fatty molecules inhibit our receptors for bitterness and keep bitter tastes from overwhelming us, but when they're broken down by the surfactants in toothpaste, bitter tastes get enhanced.So to avoid that unpleasant after-brushing taste, look for an SLS-free toothpaste... or just wait about 30 minutes.
Related: Solving a Mystery: Why Does Greek Yogurt Have Paper on Top?
(Images: Lev Dolgachov/Shutterstock)
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Or eat something salty and then OJ tastes good again.
I love Alton Brown-ish posts! I find that wine is the absolute worst thing to have after brushing my teeth. I assume it's a combo of the compounds in wine and the effects of toothpaste listed above.
I love the stock photo of the displeased juice drinker. Too funny.
I assumed it was just the mint flavor. Eat an altoid before drinking your OJ and I bet it tastes just as bad.
I heard that rinsing with warm water helps to get your tastebuds back on track faster. That's my go to plan when I'm running late for weekend breakfasts/brunch with the family. It seems to restore normal tastes a little sooner than just rinsing with cold water, but it might just be all in my head.
Interesting! I wonder if bitter supertasters naturally produce fewer phospholipids.
I used to consider this a positive effect years ago, when I was training myself to eat ONLY at mealtimes. A certain Major Brand of toothpaste would make everything taste bad for about 3 or 4 hours, reminding me that I should wait until the next official mealtime before eating. No snacking allowed. I now use a toothpaste that doesn't have this effect, but the no snacking rule still applies.
I use Biotene, which is SLS free. Though I've never really had the problem of not being able to eat after brushing. I just rinse with a bit of water and am usually fine.
Interesting stuff!