Should You Rinse Your Teeth After Brushing? The Truth Revealed by Dental Experts

2024-04-13 09:46:00

Is it true that you should not rinse your teeth following brushing them with toothpaste?

Videos widely circulated on the TikTok platform that showed how many people brushed their teeth caused a huge uproar. The basic advice promoted by some is: “Brush your teeth with a fluoride-containing toothpaste without rinsing them.”

Dental experts agree on some of this advice. They recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day with a toothpaste containing fluoride to avoid tooth decay. Doctors say that avoiding rinsing following brushing allows the fluoride to remain on the teeth, providing additional protection.

Brittany Seymour, a spokeswoman for the American Dental Association and an assistant professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, advises people who prefer to rinse their teeth to do so gently with a small amount of water, such as a sip of water, or to delay rinsing for 20 minutes.

According to “Washington Post”A 1999 study of regarding 2,800 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 16 in the United Kingdom found that people who rinsed their teeth with a glass of water following brushing them had, on average, regarding 4 more decayed or missing teeth compared to regarding 3 for those who never rinsed them. Those who rinsed their teeth with a small amount of water had regarding 3.62 bad teeth.

Skipping rinses isn’t necessary for people with healthy teeth, but those who eat a diet high in sugar or are at risk for tooth decay may need an extra helping of fluoride, explains University of Michigan School of Dentistry professor Margarita Fontana.

She adds, “When you rinse your teeth, you are washing away the active ingredients of the toothpaste that you have just applied to your teeth. So another option for those who want to rinse their mouth following brushing is to use a mouthwash that contains fluoride.”

Tooth plaque is covered with acid-producing bacteria that can cause cavities, aided by a high-sugar diet and poor oral hygiene. Fluoride, a mineral, helps prevent cavities by protecting teeth primarily by helping to replace minerals lost in the protective enamel and reducing the amount of minerals lost to the enamel.

While fluoride is essential to protect teeth, consuming excessive amounts may increase the risk of poisoning. Long-term intake of excessive amounts of fluoride during dental development in early childhood can cause white spots to appear on the teeth, a cosmetic condition called “fluorosis,” but it is usually mild in the United States.

In this regard, dental experts say that the amount of fluoride that will be left on your teeth following brushing is safe. However, children should always be supervised when brushing their teeth to ensure that they do not ingest too much of it.

“Parents and caregivers should ask their children to avoid ingesting as much fluoride as possible, and to keep any remaining fluoride on their teeth to help protect once morest decay,” advises pediatric dentist and AAPD President Scott Cashion.

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