Sometimes I find some food residue on my teeth, so is it obligatory to remove this residue before performing wudu'?

The questioner : Sometimes I find some food residue on my teeth, so is it obligatory to remove this residue before performing wudu'?

The Shaykh : It appears to me that it is not obligatory to remove it before performing wudu', but cleaning the teeth of it is undoubtedly more complete, purer, and further from tooth disease. Because if this residue remains, it may generate putrefaction and cause disease to the teeth and gums. So what a person should do when he finishes his food is to clean between his teeth until the effect of the food that stuck to them is removed, and he should also use the miswak, because food changes the mouth. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the miswak that it is: This indicates that whenever the mouth needs purification, it is purified with the miswak.