Do you rinse after brushing your teeth?

August 13, 2024 1:53 PM

I've seen conflicting answers about this — some dental influencers online are suggesting that when you finish brushing your teeth, to not rinse at all and just to leave the toothpaste to "bond" to the enamel (rinsing would wash the toothpaste off and thus be ineffective). However, when asking my dentist, I was told to rinse, to get rid of any plague still remaining in the mouth. Which is right?

I see both sides of the argument, so was wondering what you all do. I personally used to rinse all the time, but when I saw those influencers saying not to rinse, I stopped rinsing.

posted by thoughtful_analyst to Health & Fitness (31 answers total)

I cannot imagine how anyone can bear to not spit out all the yuck that has just been brushed off the teeth. If I had to leave toothpaste on my teeth, it would require a second application of toothpaste, after rinsing out the various bits of food matter that brushing has removed.

I also rinse after flossing, for the same reason.
posted by metonym at 1:57 PM on August 13 [22 favorites]

have you tried fluoride rinse?
posted by Dr. Twist at 2:03 PM on August 13 [4 favorites]

In the movies* people always seem to just spit once into the sink and not rinse and I am always faintly grossed out by the idea of them just walking around with a bunch of used toothpaste in their mouth and eventually swallowing a lot of toothpaste. Team Rinse for sure.

*it's this thing that I never see why I'm being shown it and it's in practically everything and why am I annoyed by this minor thing? I DON'T KNOW.
posted by less-of-course at 2:04 PM on August 13 [5 favorites]

I rinse with water then use mouthwash but don’t rinse with water after that.
posted by The Hamms Bear at 2:04 PM on August 13

When I asked my dentist, he said that it didn't really matter either way - that you could either let the toothpaste sit after spitting, or rinse with mouthwash. The important part was the physical act of brushing and flossing, the toothpaste/mouthwash helps some too, but not nearly to the degree that the physical actions did.
posted by Rudy_Wiser at 2:08 PM on August 13 [6 favorites]

I often advocate for patients to brush the debris off of their teeth, rinse and then brush again and don't rinse at their bedtime brushing. Leaving the toothpaste on means the active ingredients, be they fluoride, desensitizer, enamel rebuilder or whatever are there overnight.
It's hard enough to get folks to brush often enough as it is, but the ideal way for me is: brush, floss while the toothpaste is still there to carry the fluoride in between the teeth, rinse thoroughly and then apply a small amount of paste and brush lightly again, spit and leave that nice clean flavor in place.
But, in the end, I'm just happy when folks do hygiene at all.
posted by OHenryPacey at 2:08 PM on August 13 [23 favorites]

I would trust dentists over “dental influencers”.

“Dental influencers” get audience by saying something new that sounds like it makes sense. Unless of course they are certified by the American College of Dental Influencers. But there is no such thing because they don’t have any training at all.

Just trust your dentist.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 2:09 PM on August 13 [29 favorites]

I have a couple of dark spots on my teeth just above the gumline that are at risk for developing into more serious decay, and my dentist told me after I’ve finished brushing (and rinsing) in the evening, to rub some more toothpaste onto those spots and leave it there. I’m not sure how well it works as it just always seems to slide off, but I do assume it means that leaving toothpaste on (if you can) is beneficial.
posted by penguin pie at 2:16 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

Dentists say you shouldn’t rinse after brushing.

Dental experts agree. They recommend brushing at least twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste to help prevent cavities. And they say skipping the rinse after brushing allows the fluoride to stay on the teeth, providing added protection.

Those who prefer to rinse should rinse lightly with a small amount of water such as a sip from the hand or delay the rinse by about 20 minutes, said Brittany Seymour, a spokeswoman for the American Dental Association (ADA) and an associate professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

posted by mbrubeck at 2:17 PM on August 13 [9 favorites]

My prescription toothpaste (extra fluoride) says explicitly, after brushing, to swish the toothpaste around my mouth for 30 seconds, spit, and not to rinse, eat, or drink for a minimum of 30 minutes afterwards.
posted by shadygrove at 2:19 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

I do not rinse. I use Tom's of Maine toothpaste because it does not taste like garbage. I suspect that many people who feel like they have to rinse use toothpaste that tastes bad with way too much xylitol and artificial flavorings and don't know there are alternatives.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:23 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

Yeah I not only rinse but I swish.
But then I follow it up with a fluoride rinse.

Order of operations:
water floss (sometimes...new step as of a couple months ago)
brush and spit (no rinse)
normie floss to get some of the toothpaste down where only floss can reach
rinse/swish
fluoride rinse

I have very nice teeth and get excellent marks from my dentist on my "home care."
posted by phunniemee at 2:30 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I rinse (with water) and then use a fluoride mouthwash, at the advice of my dentist. That said, there are prescription fluoride toothpastes that are meant to not be rinsed (though you'd still spit out any excess), so I expect that it's not a huge deal either way.
posted by Aleyn at 2:34 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

Twice a day, I, in order:

- Floss
- Brush for two minutes, using just grocery store bought flouride toothpaste
- Rinse extensively with water, because I cannot abide the feeling of toothpaste residue in my mouth

That's been my routine since college. I am 55 years old and I have two (2) cavities. YMMV, because genetics play a huge part in dental health as well, but basically, the act of regular brushing and flossing is the important part.

Also, "dental influencer"? c'mon now
posted by pdb at 2:42 PM on August 13 [3 favorites]

1) no more TikTok advice
2) rinse
3) floss (or use an irrigator product, they're cheaper and easier now)
posted by brianvan at 2:45 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

It’s perhaps worth noting that the person whose “Why don’t I rinse?” video went viral on TikTok is (surprise!) a dentist. And her advice agrees with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

The people here saying to “trust dentists, not TikTok” are in fact ignoring dentists and dental health research.
posted by mbrubeck at 2:48 PM on August 13 [10 favorites]

Official advice from the UK's National Health Service.
posted by biffa at 4:05 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

I was told to rinse, to get rid of any plague still remaining in the mouth

Definitely get rid of plague, regardless.

My understanding was that not rinsing isn't about bonding (?), but about leaving the fluoride in for longer to be active.
posted by trig at 4:09 PM on August 13 [2 favorites]

I used to rinse my mouth, but then my dentist told me not to, so since then (many years now) I do not rinse my mouth after brushing my teeth. I spit out the foam but don't rinse my mouth. Felt weird at first, but I am used to it now.
posted by unicorn chaser at 4:28 PM on August 13

If I couldn't rinse, I wouldn't brush with toothpaste (due to texture, not flavor). I think 10/10 dentists would agree it's better for me to brush and rinse than not brush at all.

I've never had a cavity and I'm a bit of a goodie-two-shoes when it comes to things like this. It's taken half a life but I'm at peace with the idea that doing enough is not necessarily the same as doing every single possible thing regardless of the downsides.
posted by lampoil at 5:54 PM on August 13 [4 favorites]

I've heard of this. Aren't there also young men out there who've come to realize they don't need to wipe their ass? Idiots. The purpose of dental hygiene is to make your mouth and teeth as clean as possible. Since acquiring a Waterpik, at my hygienist's insistence, I find that after a vigorous water-picking I don't even need to brush, but do so for the breath-freshening effects. And then rinse again, of course. As for the fluoride, it's in my drinking water, straight from the tap.
posted by Rash at 6:05 PM on August 13 [1 favorite]

I have thin enamel, and use a special toothpaste that chemically bonds with it to help mitigate all my years of loving sour foods too much. So my nighttime routine (approved by dentist) is:

- floss
- rinse, swishing vigorously, with water
- brush
- spit
- spit again!
- scrape my tongue with a metal tongue scraper

It’s about as close as one can get to not-rinsing without leaving a whole lot of toothpaste ick on the tasting part of my mouth.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:06 PM on August 13

My dentist has told me directly that novamin and prescription fluoride toothpastes specifically are not to be rinsed for the reason you’ve stated; she also says that others can be rinsed because there is no substantive reason for the toothpaste to remain in contact with your teeth.

So it is very possible both camps are right, depending on the toothpaste.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:51 PM on August 13

It depends in whether you're relying on your toothpaste for fluoride.

If you are getting your fluoride via your water or mouthwash, go ahead and rinse.

If your toothpaste is the only source of fluoride, then you don't want to rinse the flouride off right away.

If you prefer to rinse but live somewhere without fluorine in the water, you can use a fluoride rinse after brushing.

Regardless of where you're getting your fluoride, you want to leave it on your teeth as long as possible.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:28 PM on August 13

In a choice of advice given by one person with medical degree in the topic at hand or a band of "influencers" who have undoubtedly done "research, " I know whose advice I would follow.
posted by brookeb at 10:07 PM on August 13

You don't want to swallow the Fluride residues.

My plan of action:

1. Floss
2. Brush
3. Rinse
4. Mouthwash with self made mouthwash, 1 tbls Xylitol, 1 tbls Erythritol. Both are anti-plaque and have a synergistic effect. I add a few drops of ethanol based myrrhe extract for the taste. This won't be available for you in the US due to the ethanol content.
posted by maloqueiro at 4:58 AM on August 14

I used to rinse because having toothpaste left in my mouth bothered me, but my dentist has me using Clinpro at night for the extra fluoride and I'm not supposed to rinse afterwards so the fluoride stays on my teeth overnight. It felt a little weird at first but it's not so bad.
posted by birthday cake at 5:55 AM on August 14

In a choice of advice given by one person with medical degree in the topic at hand or a band of "influencers" who have undoubtedly done "research, " I know whose advice I would follow.

But the inputs in this thread mean that is no longer the case, since there are several sources of expertise supporting the position of the influencers mentioned in the thread.
posted by biffa at 6:05 AM on August 14 [1 favorite]

I've had a former dentist suggest not rinsing, because of the fluoride. (It's also a reason to brush for the full two minutes - if you're going to rinse, at least give the fluoride some time to do its thing.)
posted by demi-octopus at 7:11 AM on August 14

I don't much see what asking on Metafilter is going to be better than TikTok influencers, no matter how smart people on here think they are (unless they are dentists).

Trust what the dentists say. My dentist also echoes "the don't rinse" guidance - her recommended process is floss, use a mouthwash if you use one (but don't because they're pointless at best and dry out your mouth and harbour bad bacteria at worst), then brush and do not rinse because the fluoride needs to stay on your teeth. She also said that the fluoride rinses are too weak to make any real difference. I imagine this is guidance for fluoride-containing toothpastes only, but she also says to use fluoride-containing toothpastes, so.
posted by urbanlenny at 7:50 AM on August 14

I've only been to roughly 4 dentists , in all theses years , out of which two were my long term dentists .One was our family dentist from my kindergarten days * still practising and quite old now *
My last dentist ( 7 yrs)is a young guy , who is very popular , and neither of them have ever once mentioned not rinsing post brushing.
I have sensitive teeth and used to use a special toothpaste ( now between jobs so switched to regular toothpaste as its a bit expensive)
So for me it's floss , brush then rinse .
posted by SarahSarah at 12:03 AM on August 15