Oral care during Ramadan: a guide for fasting patients

Good oral care during Ramadan comes down to timing: brush with a fluoride toothpaste after iftar and again after suhoor, clean between your teeth once a day, drink plenty of water between the two meals and limit evening sweets. Most routine dental care can continue during the month, with a few practical adjustments.

How fasting affects your teeth and gums

During the fasting hours you do not eat or drink, so your mouth produces less saliva. Saliva is the mouth’s natural cleaning system: it rinses away food particles, neutralises acids and helps repair the earliest stages of tooth decay. When it is reduced for many hours, the mouth can feel dry and sticky.

Ramadan also changes when and what we eat. Meals are concentrated into a few evening and night hours, often with more sweets, sugary drinks and snacks than usual, and sleep patterns shift. For many people, brushing becomes irregular simply because the daily routine has changed.

The most common effects dentists see during the month are:

• Dry mouth during the day, especially on long or hot days.
• Bad breath while fasting, which many people notice by the afternoon.
• A higher risk of tooth decay (cavities) when sugary foods and drinks are taken often during the evening.
• Gum irritation or bleeding when brushing and cleaning between the teeth are skipped.

The good news is that most of these problems can be prevented with a simple routine adapted to the fasting day.

When to brush your teeth during Ramadan

The general advice of dentists does not change in Ramadan: brush twice a day for about two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste, and clean between your teeth once a day. What changes is the timing.

A simple daily routine

1. After iftar: once you have finished your meal and any sweets, brush your teeth thoroughly. If you have had acidic drinks or fruit juice, wait about an hour before brushing, because acid temporarily softens the enamel (the hard outer layer of the tooth).
2. Before sleeping, if you stay up late: clean between your teeth with floss or small interdental brushes, so that food from the evening does not stay trapped all night.
3. After suhoor: brush again before the fast begins, so that your teeth start the fasting hours clean.
4. During the day: if you wish, clean your teeth carefully without swallowing anything (see below).

After brushing, spit out the excess toothpaste but avoid rinsing heavily with water, so that a thin layer of fluoride stays on the teeth for longer. For a step-by-step technique, see our guide on how to brush your teeth correctly.

Brushing while fasting

Many patients ask whether brushing during the fasting hours is allowed. Many Muslim scholars consider it acceptable as long as nothing is swallowed, while some prefer that toothpaste be avoided during the day. The miswak, a traditional tooth-cleaning stick, is widely accepted. For questions about religious rulings, it is best to ask a scholar you trust; from a dental point of view, the most important thing is a thorough brush after iftar and after suhoor.

If you choose to brush during the day, use a very small amount of toothpaste or a dry brush, keep your head tilted forward and spit carefully.

Eating and drinking between iftar and suhoor

Tooth decay is caused by acids that bacteria in plaque (the sticky film on teeth) produce when they feed on sugar. What matters is not only how much sugar you eat, but how often your teeth are exposed to it. Snacking on sweets and sipping sugary drinks throughout the evening gives these bacteria many separate opportunities to attack the enamel.

Ramadan tables in Lebanon are generous: qatayef, knefeh, maamoul, jallab, qamar al-din and tamarind drinks are part of the tradition. You do not need to give them up, but a few habits help protect your teeth:

• Eat sweets with or straight after the main meal, rather than in small amounts throughout the night.
• Make water your main drink between iftar and suhoor, little and often, to stay hydrated and keep saliva flowing.
• Keep sugary drinks to a glass with the meal rather than sipping them for hours.
• Break the fast with dates and water as tradition suggests, then rinse your mouth with water, because dates are sticky.
• Include vegetables, dairy products such as laban and cheese, and foods that need chewing; they stimulate saliva.
• At suhoor, choose foods that keep you full and hydrated, such as eggs, labneh, whole grains, and fruit and vegetables with a high water content, and avoid very salty foods that increase thirst.
• Sugar-free chewing gum after meals, outside the fasting hours, can increase saliva and help clean the teeth.

Coffee and tea are part of many evenings. They are fine in moderation, but a lot of caffeine may make you lose more fluid, and these drinks can stain the teeth over time.

Bad breath and dry mouth while fasting

Bad breath during fasting is common and, in most cases, is not a sign of illness. With less saliva, bacteria on the tongue and between the teeth produce more of the sulphur compounds that cause odour. The way the body uses its energy reserves during long hours without food can also affect the breath.

These steps usually help:

• Clean your tongue gently with your toothbrush or a tongue scraper after iftar and after suhoor; the back of the tongue holds many bacteria.
• Clean between your teeth every day, because trapped food is a common source of odour.
• Drink enough water between iftar and suhoor.
• Limit strong-smelling foods such as raw garlic and onion at suhoor.
• Avoid smoking, including shisha (argileh), which dries the mouth and makes breath worse.

If bad breath continues after Ramadan, or if you notice it all year round, it may have another cause, such as gum disease, tooth decay or another dental problem. Our article on the real causes of bad breath and how it is treated explains what to look for.

Can you have dental treatment while fasting?

Most dental care can continue during Ramadan. There is no need to postpone a dental problem until the month is over, because many problems become more complicated when they are left untreated. A few practical points help you plan.

Opinions differ among scholars on some details, such as local anaesthesia (an injection that numbs only the area being treated) or the small amount of water that may reach the throat during treatment. Many patients therefore prefer to book treatments involving water spray, anaesthesia or bleeding after iftar, while others are comfortable having them during the day. Tell us you are fasting when you book, so that we can plan the visit with you.

If your dentist prescribes medication, mention that you are fasting. Many medicines can be taken at iftar and suhoor, but the schedule must be decided by your dentist or doctor. Never change a dose or stop an antibiotic on your own.

Toothache or a dental emergency during Ramadan

Toothache does not wait for Eid. If you are in pain, contact a dentist rather than trying to cope until the end of the month. A decayed or infected tooth usually gets worse with time, and treating it early is often simpler.

Seek care quickly if you notice:

• Severe or throbbing pain that keeps you awake.
• Swelling of the gum, face or jaw.
• Fever, or a bad taste from a gum that is discharging.
• A broken tooth with sharp edges or pain.

Swelling that spreads towards the eye or neck, or difficulty swallowing or breathing, needs urgent medical attention, at a hospital emergency department if necessary.

Islam grants allowances to people who are ill, and some patients with strong pain or an infection may need to take medication during the day. If you are unsure, discuss it with your doctor and with a scholar you trust. For practical first steps, read our guide on what to do right now about severe toothache.

Children, older adults and people with health conditions

Children and teenagers

Children who are not fasting yet still join the evening meals and gatherings, often with plenty of sweets. Keep their brushing routine fixed, in the morning and before bed, even if bedtime is later than usual. Teenagers who fast can follow the adult routine: brushing after iftar and after suhoor.

People with diabetes

People with diabetes should always ask their doctor whether fasting is safe for them and how to adjust their medication. Diabetes is linked with gum disease, and dry mouth may be more marked, so careful brushing, cleaning between the teeth and regular check-ups are especially important.

Dentures

If you wear dentures (removable false teeth), clean them every day, take them out at night unless your dentist advises otherwise, and keep them in water or a cleaning solution. A dry mouth can make dentures feel loose or uncomfortable; if they hurt, have them checked.

Pregnancy and medical conditions

Pregnant women and people with a chronic illness should take medical advice before fasting. Pregnancy can make the gums more sensitive, so gentle and thorough brushing remains important.

Preventive care at Ajam Dental Clinic in Tripoli

A check-up shortly before Ramadan is a practical way to start the month without surprises, because small problems such as early decay or tartar build-up can be dealt with in advance. At Ajam Dental Clinic, preventive care includes check-ups, scaling and polishing, and you can learn more about our preventive care and check-ups. Children’s dental care at the clinic is provided by Dr. Soumaya Ajam, whose specialty is paediatric dentistry, and root canal treatment is carried out by a visiting specialist endodontist.

Patients come to our clinic on Fouad Chehab Boulevard (Al-Makateb Building, 1st floor) from across Tripoli — Azmi Street, Al-Maarad, Al-Nour Square and Bab al-Ramel — as well as from Koura, Zgharta and the rest of North Lebanon.

If you have a question about your teeth during the fasting month or would like to book a visit, contact us by WhatsApp or phone to arrange a consultation.

This article provides general information for patients. It does not replace an examination by a dentist, who can advise you on your own situation.