ClassX Video Lessons Why do things taste bad after you brush your teeth? – feat. The Muppets! – Big Questions – (Ep. 30)
Hey there! Have you ever noticed how some foods taste really weird after you brush your teeth? Like when you drink orange juice and it tastes super yucky? Well, today we’re going to find out why that happens, with a little help from our friends, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker!
So, here’s the scoop. Toothpaste has some special ingredients that can change how things taste. Most toothpastes contain something called sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. These are surfactants, which is just a fancy word for stuff that makes toothpaste foamy, kind of like soap.
Now, these surfactants do something interesting to your taste buds. They make it harder for you to taste sweet flavors because they mess with the receptors on your tongue that detect sweetness. At the same time, they make bitter tastes stand out more. It’s like when you wash dishes and the soap breaks down the grease. The surfactants in toothpaste break down some stuff on your tongue, making things taste different.
So, when you brush your teeth and then drink orange juice, the surfactants in the toothpaste make the juice taste more bitter and less sweet. That’s why it tastes so strange! This effect can last for about an hour after you brush your teeth.
Our friends Bunsen and Beaker helped us understand this cool science trick. Even though they don’t have teeth, they know a lot about how toothpaste works. Thanks to them, we now know why our breakfast juice tastes funny after brushing!
Thanks for joining us on this fun science adventure! If you have any big questions of your own, feel free to ask. Who knows, maybe we’ll explore your question next time. See you soon!
Try brushing your teeth and then tasting different foods like orange juice, chocolate, or apples. Write down how each one tastes before and after brushing. Can you notice the difference? This will help you understand how toothpaste affects your taste buds.
Design an advertisement for a toothpaste that doesn’t affect taste. Think about what ingredients you would include to make it taste-friendly. Share your ad with the class and explain your choices.
In pairs, pretend to be Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker. Create a short skit explaining why toothpaste changes the taste of food. Perform your skit for the class to help everyone understand the science behind it.
Investigate other products that contain surfactants, like shampoos or dish soaps. Create a poster showing what you learned about how surfactants work and why they are used in these products.
Keep a journal for a week, noting any changes in taste after brushing your teeth. Include any questions or observations you have. At the end of the week, share your findings with your classmates.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m Elliott and this is Mental Floss. Today, we are at the YouTube Space LA. I’m going to answer Tony’s big question: “Why do certain things taste so bad after brushing your teeth?” Many people notice this when they brush their teeth and then drink orange juice, resulting in an unpleasant experience. According to a 2005 study published in the Journal of Sensory Studies, toothpaste can affect the taste of orange juice for at least an hour after brushing. Today, I’ll explain why that is with the help of two friends, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker. Let’s get started!
Hello there, science friends! Beaker and I are eager to discuss this topic. Yes, we brush regularly, even though we technically don’t have teeth.
It’s actually an ingredient in toothpaste that makes various foods and drinks taste different after brushing. Isn’t that right, Bunsen? That’s correct! Most toothpastes contain either sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. Like soap, these are surfactants, meaning they lower surface tension and are responsible for the foaminess of toothpaste.
Sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate affect taste buds by decreasing our ability to taste sweeter flavors, as they suppress the receptors that detect those flavors. They also break down phospholipids on our tongue, making bitter tastes more detectable.
Demonstrate, Beaker! (Beaker makes a noise.)
Okay, so that was an orange rather than orange juice, but you get the point. This process is similar to how dish detergent can break down oils on dishes. The membranes that surround the cells in our mouths get temporarily disturbed by the surfactant, which causes whatever you eat or drink after brushing to taste more bitter and less sweet than usual.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube, made with the help of all these wonderful people. And thank you to Bunsen and Beaker for assisting me today. If you have a big question of your own that you’d like answered, leave it in the comments. We’ll see you next week!
I have a big question! Do you have anything for male pattern baldness? Oh, not on me.
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Toothpaste – A substance used with a toothbrush to clean teeth and maintain oral hygiene. – Scientists study the ingredients in toothpaste to ensure it effectively removes plaque.
Taste – The sensation produced when a substance in the mouth interacts with taste buds. – In science class, we learned how different taste receptors on our tongue help us taste various flavors.
Buds – Small structures on the tongue that contain taste receptors. – Taste buds are responsible for detecting sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavors.
Surfactants – Compounds that lower the surface tension between two substances, such as a liquid and a solid. – Surfactants in toothpaste help spread the paste evenly across the teeth for better cleaning.
Sweet – A basic taste sensation that is usually pleasant and sugary. – The sweet taste of ripe fruit is often due to natural sugars that plants produce.
Bitter – A basic taste sensation that is often sharp and unpleasant. – Some plants have a bitter taste to deter animals from eating them.
Orange – A citrus fruit known for its sweet and tangy flavor, rich in vitamin C. – In biology, we learned that the orange’s bright color attracts animals to help spread its seeds.
Juice – The liquid extracted from fruits or vegetables. – Scientists analyze orange juice to understand its nutritional content and health benefits.
Science – The study of the natural world through observation and experiments. – In science class, we conducted an experiment to see how plants grow under different light conditions.
Ingredients – Substances that are combined to make a particular product. – Reading the ingredients on a toothpaste tube helps us understand what makes it effective for cleaning teeth.
