Should you rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth?

Since we were little, most of us have had the same routine when brushing our teeth. This habit consists of brushing, spitting out the paste, and rinsing. But while it is natural to have a strong desire to rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth, it is not always recommended.

Toothpastes, which contain fluoride and other ingredients intended to strengthen tooth enamel, need a little extra time on the surface of the teeth for us to reap their full benefits. So maybe this innocent habit could be messing with your teeth.

The origin of rinsing when brushing our teeth

Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay, among other benefits. There are traces of fluoride naturally in some of the foods we eat, but they are also added to drinking water and oral health products to help improve our teeth. Fluoride helps teeth the most when applied directly to them, and if it stays on for several minutes it provides the most benefit.

But this conventional habit of rinsing our mouths with water after brushing has some basis. In general, we are not supposed to ingest high concentrations of fluoride . Some dental products contain higher concentrations of fluoride than what is recommended for daily intake. So the idea of rinsing your mouth after brushing became common practice as a way to prevent a significant amount of fluoride ingestion.

There is also a desire to want to remove the strong minty taste of toothpaste in your mouth with something neutral, such as water. Rinsing the taste out of your mouth after brushing sometimes just satisfies your body’s need to get rid of the taste. But unfortunately, when we rinse immediately after washing, we are eliminating much of the benefit of applying fluoride to our teeth.

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We just have to spit out the pasta

The reason dentists say we brush for 2 minutes is because we give the toothpaste enough time to work properly. However, most people do not brush their teeth for the recommended time. In fact, it usually takes less than a minute. That is why they say that when we clean the remains with water, we are washing off any remaining toothpaste, including the fluoride that makes it work.

That could mean that even if we brush our teeth, it may not be as effective as it should be. Therefore, if it is not rinsed and we simply spit out the excess toothpaste, the remaining fluoride will kick in and protect the teeth. Over time we will enjoy cleaner and healthier teeth, which are naturally strong against cavities and tooth decay in the future.

Some experts recommend spitting out excess saliva or toothpaste after you’ve finished brushing your teeth rather than rinsing it off with water. Leave the fluoride on your teeth as the day progresses and try to avoid eating or drinking for 10 minutes or more after brushing your teeth. However, there is not much research on exactly how long to leave toothpaste on your teeth. When brushing at home, we may also want to wait before rinsing to maximize the beneficial cavities-fighting effect of fluoride.