Is your habit of rinsing your mouth useful?
Why skipping the final rinse is a better daily ritual.
I’m making this post free to all subscribers. Usually, my clinical recommendations will only be available for paid subscribers.
Do you rinse your mouth after you brush your teeth?
Chances are you squirt some toothpaste on your brush, scrub around for less than a minute, spit out the foam, and either slurp water from the tap using your toothbrush or grab a nearby glass and swish with a mouthful of water. Some of you might finish with a quick gargle of mouth rinse. Am I right?
Now that you’ve thought about your routine, why do you rinse after brushing your teeth?
Because that’s what your parents did and so it is what they taught you. Maybe you feel like it removes the leftover foam and debris like rinsing off the soap. Or somewhere along the way, it was just the instinctual habit you formed.
Now this leads to the question: What is the role of toothpaste?
To make your mouth feel fresh. To aid in the removal of plaque and tartar. To reduce staining of your teeth. To whiten your teeth. To rebuild your enamel. To help desensitize your teeth. Or whatever the latest gimmick is the marketing gurus have come up with to sell you their new toothpaste product.
I like to think of toothpaste as medicinal. We could even call it lotion for your teeth. Medicinally speaking, the primary reason for toothpaste is to provide fluoride to your teeth. (Oops! I used the F word.)
Yes, some kinds of toothpaste desensitize which is also medicinal. Others help remove stains, plaque, and tartar, but buyer beware many do this with high levels of abrasives that can be harsh on enamel.
Instead, try brushing your teeth more mindfully without any toothpaste at the beginning. This allows you to feel how you are brushing and if you are effectively removing the plaque and food debris without the distraction of the toothpaste foam. To finish, add the toothpaste to your brush and massage it into the teeth like applying lotion to your skin.
To rinse or not to rinse
Now that you are thinking about toothpaste as a medicine, does it make sense to rinse with water after brushing? What about all the foam in your mouth?
Studies have shown that rinsing with water after brushing does dilute the salivary concentration of fluoride in the mouth.
If you rinse with water multiple times, it lowers fluoride concentration a lot more than if you rinse only once, even if that one rinse is longer in time. But the best medicinal effect is if you don’t rinse after brushing.
Longitudinal studies in children have shown that avoiding rinsing with water after brushing does lower the incidence of caries (cavities) compared to those who rinsed after brushing.
Take home message: Spit, don’t rinse.
Or as my colleague likes to say, leave the foam alone!
You want the medicinal effects of your toothpaste. Let the desensitizers, fluoride, and other ingredients do their work. Otherwise, no point in spending the money on that plastic tube.
Here’s some tips on rinsing:
Rinse your mouth with water immediately after eating. (This can even be done discreetly at the dinner table.)
Rinse before you brush. (This is to buffer the acids before you scrub.)
Try to just spit and let the foamy bubbles work their magic on your teeth.
Alternatively, only rinse once with 10 ml or less of water or a fluoride-containing mouth rinse after you brush.
If you wear retainers or Invisalign, pop those in right over the leftover foam.
You might be feeling a tad silly right now because you never thought of this. Don’t worry. I talk to lots of dentists and hygienists who instinctually rinse their mouths after brushing their teeth, even when we know better.
This small adjustment to the daily routine of brushing your teeth can have a profound preventive result. Go ahead and skip the final rinse.
Leave the foam alone!
In future editions, we will discuss additional interesting details about toothpaste and mouth rinse, including pH, nanohydroxyapatite, and fluoride-free alternatives.
Got questions? Drop them in the comments below.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While I am a licensed dentist, I am not your dentist, and no doctor-patient relationship is established through this content. For personalized care, please consult your dental professional.