I’m a dentist — here’s the truth about rinsing after brushing your teeth

Health Care

By Samantha Ibrahim

This one’s a brush job.

After years of being told to spit and rinse, Americans are now being told merely to spit, as dental experts pour water on the notion of swish-swishing after attending to our pearly whites.

Brittany Seymour, a rep for the American Dental Association and a Harvard School of Dental Medicine professor, has recommended that people should brush their teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste — full stop.

“When you rinse, you are basically rinsing away the active ingredients of the toothpaste that you just put on your teeth,” Margherita Fontana, a teacher at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, told the Washington Post:

If washing out the minty aftertaste of the paste is absolutely necessary, then it is best to rinse out 20 minutes after the initial brush or take a tiny sip of water, the pros say.

“Another option for those who want to rinse after brushing is to follow up with a mouthwash containing fluoride,” she went on.

According to a 1999 study of over 2,800 teenagers in England, those who used less water in their mouths after brushing had less cavities and decaying teeth than those that rinsed thoroughly.

They also found that for people with healthier teeth, skipping the splash of the H2O isn’t as important as for those who have a high-sugar diet.

The extra fluoride left in the mouth from the toothpaste could be a big help in these cases.

For children, the amount of fluoride ingested should be monitored. Kids who are younger than three, they should sweep their fangs with just a smear or smidge of paste that is the size of rice grain. Ages 3 to 6 should just be using a pea-sized squirt for their tusks.

Pediatric dentist Scott Cashion advised that in order to prevent children from swallowing toothpaste, they need to spittle out as much as they can.

“We recommend that they spit it out but try not to rinse it,” he said. “When they go off to bed, if there’s fluoride on those teeth, it’s going to help protect them through the night.”

Another thing that is seemingly bad for your choppers, is drinking too much water throughout the day.

Texas-based dentist Dr. Ellie Phillips posted a TikTok video back in November where she explained why.

“Sipping on water all throughout the day is not good for your teeth. And this applies to all liquids. The spit or the saliva that comes into your mouth is the mouth’s most healing liquid,” Phillips said.

“It can help heal your teeth because it’s full of all the minerals that your teeth need and there are also immune cells and proteins that are necessary for gum healing.”

According to WebMD, saliva has proteins that protects tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay. Therefore, by guzzling down aqua constantly, you’re diluting your saliva and reducing its benefits.