Most of us have had the same routine for brushing our teeth since we were little and learned the habit for the first time: brush, spit, rinse.
But while it’s natural to have a strong urge to rinse your mouth with water after brushing, it’s not always recommended.
Toothpastes that contain fluoride and other ingredients meant to strengthen your tooth enamel may need a little extra time on the surface of your teeth to get the full benefit.
Let’s cover the pros and cons of rinsing after brushing so you can decide if it’s time to make a change to your routine.
Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay, among other benefits. Traces of fluoride are
Fluoride helps your teeth the most when applied directly to your teeth. Fluoride that remains on your teeth for several minutes provides the greatest benefit.
The conventional wisdom about rinsing your mouth with water after brushing has some basis in reality. In general, you should not ingest high concentrations of fluoride.
Some dental products contain fluoride concentrations higher than the recommended daily intake. Thus, the strategy of rinsing your mouth after brushing became a common practice as a way to prevent a significant amount of fluoride.
There’s also the very real urge to want to replace the strong, minty taste of toothpaste in your mouth with something neutral, like water. Washing the taste out of your mouth after brushing sometimes just fulfills your body’s desire to get rid of the taste.
Unfortunately, when you rinse immediately after brushing, you erase many of the benefits of applying fluoride to your teeth.
Some experts, including the UK Oral Health Foundationnow we recommend spitting out any excess saliva or toothpaste after you finish brushing as opposed to rinsing your teeth.
Leave the fluoride on your teeth as you go about your day and try to avoid eating or drinking for 10 minutes or more after brushing.
There isn’t a lot of up-to-date research on how long, exactly, to leave toothpaste on your teeth.
According to the American Dental Association, professional fluoride treatments in the dental office—which have higher concentrations of fluoride than toothpaste—are used to a few minutes, and then you may be asked not to flush, eat or drink for at least 30 minutes afterwards. So the fluoride can stay on your teeth.
When brushing at home, you may also want to wait before rinsing to maximize fluoride’s cavity-fighting benefits.
It is generally considered safe for most people to skip the rinsing step after brushing their teeth. However, there are some side effects to be aware of.
Ingesting large amounts of any fluoride dental product is not recommended. Ingesting too much fluoride can result in:
- motion sickness
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain
However, these side effects are extremely rare when only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste is used. These side effects usually only occur when children ingest large amounts of fluoride products intended for adults or if inappropriate fluoride products intended for dental use are used.
It would be
Fluoride and children
The American Dental Association now recommend that children under 3 can also use fluoride toothpaste as soon as their first tooth comes out.
However, a child’s guardian should only apply a rice-grain-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to the toothbrush, and the child should rinse immediately after brushing.
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The other confusing part of this is the flossing question. Current guidance recommends that you always rinse your mouth after flossing to wash away any loose bacteria and plaque that may be left in your mouth.
A small
Mouthwash, also known as mouthwash, is another dental hygiene product. Mouthwash is commonly used to freshen your breath, and most formulas contain alcohol.
Certain mouthwash formulations can be used to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay. Unlike brushing, most dental health care professionals view mouthwash as an optional step for extra protection.
If you apply fluoride-free mouthwash immediately after brushing with fluoride toothpaste, you could wash fluoride away from your tooth enamel, which would
There are not many clinical studies comparing the results of using mouthwash immediately after brushing or waiting some time in between.
However, to be on the safe side, you might want to wait about 20 minutes after brushing your teeth, use a mouthwash, especially if it contains alcohol or does not contain fluoride.
There is no consensus on whether you should rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth, but not rinsing could be beneficial for people prone to tooth decay.
It’s best to skip a rinse after brushing and just spit out the toothpaste, because it leaves a coating of fluoride on your teeth to protect against tooth decay. However, rinsing can be helpful in getting rid of plaque after flossing, getting the taste of toothpaste out of your mouth, and preventing you from ingesting too much fluoride.
Remember that the most important thing is to practice good oral hygiene every day. Ask your dentist if you’re still curious or worried about whether rinsing will make much of a difference.
