Don't rinse after brushing. What does the dentist think?

Don't rinse after brushing. What does the dentist think?

For many, rinsing your mouth with water after brushing feels automatic. Especially if it's a habit, you started early in life when learning to maintain good dental hygiene. However, if you want the most benefit from your toothpaste, consider simply spitting and not rinsing (especially for those looking for anticavity, teeth whitening, or sensitivity treatment benefits).

What does the dentist think?

The general recommendation is to spit out your toothpaste after brushing and not rinse so that the ingredients can continue to work on your teeth. This is particularly important advice for our patients with sensitive teeth to get the full benefits of the sensitivity treatment. When rinsing immediately after brushing, you need to give those ingredients sufficient time to work. In cases where you might have purchased a specialty toothpaste, rinsing away the ingredients too soon may waste your investment!

Why is it better to spit and not rinse?

Brushing your teeth with toothpaste removes plaque and food debris from your mouth, which can cause tooth decay. In its most basic form, toothpaste is a gentle abrasive that works with the mechanical action of your toothbrush. However, modern toothpaste is a marvel and generally contains ingredients to help protect healthy teeth or prevent future problems.

Virtually all additional ingredients in toothpaste are more effective given more time in contact with your teeth and/or gums. Therefore, to get the most out of your toothpaste, dentists recommend spitting out your toothpaste after brushing but not rinsing immediately after. This will maximize the time those ingredients like fluoride, sensitivity treatment, or teeth whitening have to act in your mouth.

Spitting and not rinsing is good, even if you brush twice daily for the recommended 2 minutes. However, we know many patients don't go the full 2 minutes – and for them, it would be even more advised to follow this guide to maximize the protection they can get after brushing.

What about rinsing away all the yucky stuff?

Does not rinsing after brushing feel gross? It might take some time, but it shouldn't feel that way! If you regularly find food debris is dislodged or retained while you are brushing, make sure you are:

1. Flossing before brushing: Removing anything stuck between your teeth not only makes the toothbrush bristles more effective but also lets the toothpaste work in all the smaller spaces between your teeth

2. Rinse your mouth with water after flossing but before brushing.

Things to pay attention to while brushing

1. Don't swallow toothpaste!

• The recommendation here is to spit out the toothpaste, not swallow it. Although the fluoride levels in toothpaste are relatively low, making a habit of swallowing your toothpaste introduces a risk of fluorosis.

• Don't swallow your toothpaste. You're gonna have a bad time.

1. Dealing with bleeding gums when brushing

• If you find evidence of bleeding while brushing (such as seeing your toothpaste turn pink), it's time to book a dentist appointment to get a general checkup (We're happy to help! Click this link for an appointment). Your dentist will have advised you during Post-Op instructions if you are recovering from a dental procedure. But if you know the cause of the bleeding, you can continue to follow this recommendation to spit and not rinse. Bleeding gums typically stop quickly, with the toothpaste posing no risk to you.

1. Don't use too much toothpaste; a pea-sized amount is sufficient.

• Too much toothpaste can create a big foamy mess and make it harder to get rid of any excess toothpaste. Just keep it small and focus on brushing all surfaces of your teeth! More toothpaste doesn't make your mouth any cleaner, but brushing thoroughly will.

So, when can I actually rinse my mouth?

We find that most patients feel comfortable with the following routine:

1. Admiring yourself in the mirror

2. Flossing your teeth

3. Rinse / 'swish' your mouth with water to remove any loose food debris

4. Brushing all surfaces of your teeth (top/bottom, front, back, and the sides) for a full 2 minutes

5. Spitting out the toothpaste

6. Smiling at yourself in the mirror!

With this routine, you are rinsing prior to brushing but not afterward. But, for those who must rinse after brushing, we recommend waiting 10 minutes. This will give sufficient time to get the benefits from ingredients like:

• Fluoride or Hydroxyapatite to re-mineralize your enamel and protect your teeth

• Potassium nitrate or Stannous fluoride to help treat tooth sensitivity

• Hydrogen peroxide for some whitening toothpaste (teeth whitening is a whole other topic, want to go down the rabbit hole and learn more?)

Not everyone uses mouthwash, but if your dentist has recommended it or you prefer the extra protection of mouthwash, there are certainly ways to work it into the routine.

If you primarily like using mouthwash to keep your mouth feeling fresh and prevent bad breath, it might be just as effective for you to use mouthwash at different times of the day, perhaps only after lunch or just before brushing. This way, you won't have to rinse after brushing at all.

However, if your mouthwash is primarily for extra protection/prevention of tooth decay, consider just using the mouthwash directly before brushing (effectively acting as your rinse after flossing). Another alternative (as mentioned above) would be to wait for the recommended 10 minutes after brushing to use the mouthwash.

Warning: this part could be confusing for some, so feel free to skip it:

Additionally, if you primarily focus on fluoride protection, an alternative method would be to skip the fluoride in the toothpaste altogether but rinse afterward with a fluoride mouthwash. This would allow the fluoride to remain on the teeth after rinsing with mouthwash, as you typically must wait at least 30 minutes after using mouthwash to eat or drink.

Too Long, Didn't (Want to) Read

Suppose you're a person who can and wants to take care of their teeth and doesn't have any particular circumstances preventing it. In that case, the general recommendation is to spit out your toothpaste and not rinse after.

By not rinsing away the toothpaste, you let ingredients such as fluoride, potassium nitrate, and others work their magic in your mouth.

A typical twice-a-day dental care routine could look like this:

1. Floss between all your teeth

2. Rinse your mouth (with water or mouthwash)

3. Brush all surfaces of your teeth for a full 2 minutes

4. Spit (but don't rinse) out the toothpaste

5. Wipe your beautiful face

6. Smile at yourself in the mirror

This might seem like a trivial step in your daily routine, but we think it helps patients in their long-term dental care! After all, don't you want all the benefits of your toothpaste and effort from the full 2 minutes of brushing?

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