The majority of people have followed the same teeth-brushing routine since they were children: brush, spit, then rinse. While it’s normal to feel the urge to immediately rinse your mouth with water after brushing to completely remove the toothpaste from your mouth, it’s not necessarily a good habit to have. In this article, we’ll discuss the reasons why rinsing your mouth after brushing isn’t beneficial, cover additional tooth-brushing practices, and the benefits of rinsing your mouth after flossing!
Why Should I Avoid Rinsing My Mouth After Brushing My Teeth?
Ideally, you should avoid rinsing your mouth with water immediately after brushing your teeth! Instead, you should simply spit out any excess toothpaste without using water to rinse because rinsing can diminish the effectiveness of the fluoride that the toothpaste contains. Fluoride and other tooth-enamel-strengthening compounds in toothpaste may require a little extra time on the surface of your teeth before you get their full benefits. If rinsing after brushing is a must for you, you should use a fluoridated mouthwash to rinse your mouth after brushing.
In addition to avoiding rinsing your mouth immediately after brushing, there are other things you can do to increase the efficacy of toothpaste. Dentists advise two minutes of brushing because it will help make sure you don’t miss any spots and it will allow the toothpaste ample time to function correctly. However, the majority of people don’t brush for the suggested amount of time! In actuality, the average person brushes their teeth in less than a minute.
Should I Rinse Out My Mouth After Flossing?
Unlike with brushing, it’s crucial to rinse your mouth thoroughly after flossing because it removes plaque buildup and food particles that a toothbrush can’t reach. Hence, rinsing after flossing makes sure that all of the debris is eliminated. Rinsing with mouthwash can be even more successful because it eliminates physical debris as well as any lingering bacteria. A good oral hygiene routine would be to brush your teeth without rinsing, then a half hour later to do your flossing and rinsing with mouthwash!
Contact Gentle Dental Maine
If you have any additional questions about your everyday oral hygiene routine, please contact our team at Gentle Dental Maine! Our family dentists specialize in general, cosmetic, restorative, and emergency dentistry services at each of our offices in South Portland, Biddeford, and Topsham. Give us a call at any one of our offices, or if you’re not yet a patient with us, please fill out the new patient form on our website!