Is it normal to brush your teeth just before going to the dentist?

I think people are making this a bigger deal than it probably is. If you are brushing morning and night and flossing, then your mouth is probably going to be pretty clean unless you've just eaten or eaten something likely to stick in your mouth. You can probably feel that kind of mess. But given the mess that dentists regularly deal with, I doubt many are going to be harshly judging you because you have a few toast crumbs stuck to lower right M2. Having said that the logic of "giving a them a false picture" doesn't make much sense, either. It's not like brushing your teeth magically restores them to some pristine condition. The basic underlying things are still there, although if covered in food, might be harder for a dentist to see. What works for me, is do a mid-morning appointment (or at least one before lunch), brush and floss after breakfast, and don't eat. Then there's no special last minute brushing needed and it's not really a big change from the usual routine.