Then you know the feeling, that awful taste in your mouth! Mental_floss’s
article explains that, you can thank SLES/SLS for that. Sodium laureth
sulfate, sometimes known as; sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) and sodium
laurl sulfate (SLS), are chemicals that are added to toothpaste to create foam,
which makes brushing easier.
So what about these chemicals makes drinking and eating so
disgusting directly after brushing? Well, these chemicals mess with our taste
buds. They surpress our taste bud receptors for sweetness and break up
phospholipids in our tongue, which help keep bitterness at bay.
So what does this all mean? Well, if you eat or drink right
after brushing your teeth, you’re going to taste less sweetness than normal and
more bitterness than normal. You have a few options here; go with an
SLES/SLS-free toothpaste or wait a little longer to eat or drink after you
brush!
