Nearly everyone rinses their mouth with water after they are done brushing their teeth. After all, how else are you going to get rid of the excess toothpaste in your mouth? This may come as surprising but dentists at Icon Dental Center, Everette and Seattle say that it is not the right thing to do.
In fact, if you do rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth, you are actually washing away fluoride from the mouth which protects your teeth and enamel. Fluoride is crucial in the remineralization of your enamel and to develop children’s adult teeth and decrease the acidity levels in your mouth.
So, is it okay to rinse your mouth with water even after you know the consequences? Let’s talk in more detail.
Why You Should Rinse Your Mouth With Water After Brushing Teeth
- One of the biggest reasons why it is also important to rinse your mouth with water after brushing is because the toothpaste often carries with it chemicals that should not be indigested because otherwise, it can result in irritations.
It is also important to rinse your mouth to wash away any leftover bacteria after brushing your teeth. While all of this makes sense, still why do dentists recommend against it? Let’s see.
Why You Should Not Rinse
- As you have already read above, rinsing your mouth will also result in washing away fluoride that is crucial for your teeth. However, a lot of people brush their teeth for less than a minute which doesn’t give the toothpaste enough time to act on the teeth.
If at this time you don’t rinse, then the fluoride will get to work and protect your teeth and you’ll enjoy cleaner and healthier teeth that are naturally strong against cavities and tooth decay, preventing tooth extractions in the future.
So Should Your Rinse or Not?
- If you do rinse your mouth, it is recommended that you rinse away with warm water especially if you are prone to sensitivity from cold water. A better way to deal with this is to use less toothpaste altogether.
Toothpaste is just like a soap, it vanishes away if it comes in contact with water. So if you don’t want the excess toothpaste in your mouth and go through the process without rinsing at the same time, just reduce the amount of toothpaste you use.
- For instance, instead of placing a whole line of toothpaste on your brush, just use a pea-size amount and brush your teeth. This way excess toothpaste will not be left in your mouth and the fluoride in it will get enough time to protect your teeth.
If you do not like the taste of the toothpaste, then you should try different brands until you find a flavor that you like. You can also try a gel-based toothpaste that is resistant to water if you do wish to rinse your mouth.
Generally, dentists recommend that you should never rinse your teeth if you are at a higher risk of cavities than an average individual. Doing so will not help you protect your teeth for the future.