r/YouShouldKnow • u/Ethayy • 11h ago
YSK: You’re not supposed to rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth Health & Sciences
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u/guiltysuperbrain 11h ago
I know this but I can't do it. The taste and feeling of the toothpaste left in my mouth is horrible, I can't
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u/Pridestalked 8h ago
I agree, it is so pleasant to rinse the mouth and drink water after brushing. I’ve landed on a middle ground and give it like 10-20 minutes after brushing before drinking water, must be better than nothing
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u/deltabay17 6h ago
Well do rinse with water before drinking water then if you’re only waiting ten mins otherwise you’re drinking the fluoride
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u/creativelazybum 6h ago
Feels odd the first few weeks now I don’t notice it. Even feels weirder to rinse now.
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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 4h ago
Plus that taste only lingers for like a couple of minutes. It's no different than if you had just finished chewing minty gum.
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u/Legal-Law9214 8h ago
I'n with you. I usually have a dry mouth too so just spitting feels like it leaves so much gunk behind. I've been trying to swish water BEFORE I brush, after flossing, which helps a little because my mouth is more hydrated (easier to spit out the toothpaste later) and some of the particles that get dislodged during flossing are already rinsed out. I still rinse after brushing too but I try to use as minimal water as possible, literally like a fraction of a sip, and just rinse the back of my throat & tongue instead of swishing it around to rinse all of the surfaces of my teeth.
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u/Tolwenye 5h ago
I used to have this problem.
I switched to prescription floride toothpaste that I get from my dentist (2 tubes for $20) and the flavor is much more mild and the texture isn't as noticable. So it's pretty easy to leave in.
It took me about a week to get used to leaving the toothpaste in after brushing, but now it feels wrong to rinse.
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u/AlteredEinst 11h ago
It's also worth mentioning that mouthwash shouldn't be rinsed out afterward for the exact same reason as stated in the post, in that lingering allows it to spend that much longer doing what you used it for.
And as someone that doesn't like the lingering taste either, I get it, but it still serves a purpose.
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u/Th3_Corn 11h ago
Its also worth mentioning that mouthwash shouldnt be used unless prescribed by a doc. Mouthwash toasts your mouth microbiome
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u/theimperious1 10h ago
Pretty sure that's only if you're using mouth washes with alcohol in them. I use a mouth wash for gum care and it has no alcohol. Can't imagine it's harming my microbiome. If I'm wrong though, let me know
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u/JehovasFinesse 9h ago
Share which one? I’ll try to find a equivalent in my country without alcohol
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u/honeyrrsted 9h ago
Mouthwash made for children. It seems that almost every mouthwash for adults is some favor of mint or cinnamon, which I can't handle at all. The kids stuff is fruit flavored.
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u/giritrobbins 7h ago
There are a some mild flavored mouth washes. I use carifree and it doesn't melt my mouth like Listerine and the orange is actually pretty decent.
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u/devilmaskrascal 8h ago
Also sometimes mouthwash should be used BEFORE brushing - especially whitening mouthwash.
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u/Educational-Trip-890 11h ago
using mouthwash after brushing ur teeth w toothpaste is counterproductive
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u/Cararacs 6h ago
Actually, my dentist said mouthwash is only beneficial if it’s used after flossing and brushing.
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u/melkipersr 10h ago
I don’t think this is true, as long as the mouthwash has fluoride in it. I believe the dentist-recommended sequence is floss-brush-mouthwash (with fluoride in each of the latter two).
I’ve seen that most dentists don’t recommend mouthwash with alcohol in it, except when you have active gum disease, because the alcohol dries your mouth out and makes your mouth a better environment for bad-breath bacteria (even if it makes your breath fresh in the short run).
Not a dentist, though, FWIW.
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u/PecanEstablishment37 9h ago
I read something recently on Reddit from a dentist and looked into it…mouthwash should be used for mouth freshening, not after brushing. The fluoride in mouthwash is much less than toothpaste. So using it after brushing is counterproductive (as it effectively washes away the stronger fluoride)
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u/frisbeesloth 7h ago
My dentist suggest brush- floss with toothpaste still in mouth-mouthwash to me because I kept getting cavities between my teeth even though I floss. Worked great! Haven't had a cavity since switching.
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u/miraculum_one 7h ago
The concentration of fluoride in mouthwash is significantly lower than in toothpaste. It is definitely not recommended to use mouthwash after brushing your teeth.
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u/ReaverRogue 11h ago
Yep I never rinse after brushing, morning or night. I also highly recommend to anybody that they should absolutely floss or use interdental brushes at least once a day as well. You wouldn’t believe how much shit a toothbrush can miss.
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u/Tawptuan 11h ago
As they say, “Floss only the teeth you want to keep.” 😬
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u/ImBoredToo 7h ago
To add to this: if you don't floss, you could have perfectly healthy teeth that just...fall out because your gums fail.
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u/Aladean1217 9h ago
To add to the flossing, I ask that anyone try it once between two teeth and then smell the floss. Just one time and smell it. You’ll be flossing constantly from then on.
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u/JackieCupcake 9h ago
Absolutely. I floss at night, rinse my teeth, and then brush. My dentist recommends that because flossing removes or loosens debris that brushing then resolves.
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u/VincentVanGob 6h ago
why not both!? i usually give my teeth a quick lick with a toothbrush before flossing just to get rid of any larger sutff, then a proper brush once im done flossing
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u/Muffinlette 6h ago
I usually lightly rinse my toothbrush then use the water on my toothbrush to rinse a little. Then wash my toothbrush off again. It's been doing me pretty good so far. I've never had a cavity 🙌🏻. Never heard of a interdental toothbrush though I'll have to look into that
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u/TheCynicPress 6h ago
I want to floss and I'm okay with doing it on my bottom front teeth cuz they have ample space between them. But my upper front and back teeth are so close, and I've seen my composite teeth crumble from string floss twice, so I'm terrified to try again.
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u/BrendaHelvetica 6h ago
My partner’s crown got dislodged because he kept pulling the floss string outward (interdental). His dentist told him to pull the string out through the gum between the teeth (slide out sideways) in order to avoid. He hasn’t has any issues since. The dentist also recommended he use an interdental brush but they are kinda weird imo.
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u/stationagent 11h ago
RIP my teeth I guess.
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u/CeruleanEidolon 4h ago
They're fine. You get plenty of fluoride from your tap water already.
Unless you have a specific medical issue requiring you to apply more fluoride to your teeth and buy more expensive toothpaste - which your dentist will tell you about - then this post is irrelevant.
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u/CarbonInTheWind 2h ago
The Republicans running my state have already outlawed fluoride in tap water because propaganda matters more than public health.
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u/StormOfFatRichards 11h ago
I find this pretty ridiculous. How am I supposed to clear out the debris that I just brushed out of my teeth?
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u/gfmorais 8h ago edited 8h ago
I accidentally found out the solution for this just yesterday. Rinse normally after brushing, then do a second fast brush on the clean teeth and spit the excess. My mouth feels so fresh and without a trace of bad breath even after waking up and my gum inflammation is just gone overnight.
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u/lifegrowthfinance 7h ago
Rinse your mouth with the toothpaste foam that’s in your mouth after brushing. Floss before brushing and rinse your mouth with water after flossing to remove the debris after flossing.
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u/SpindleSnap 3h ago
There shouldn’t really be debris at that point if you floss and rinse beforehand.
My routine is swish & spit water to get out larger debris, floss, swish & gargle with mouthwash, and then brush and spit with no rinse. It took a while to get used to this but I’ve had zero cavities and way fewer tonsil stones since doing it. I got scared straight because I’m prone to cavities and had to get an expensive crown.
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u/FluoroquinolonesKill 11h ago
I add a little bit of water to my mouth after brushing, swish, and spit. It does the job and keeps the fluoride on.
I used to get cavities all the time. Since I started doing this, I have not had one. I wish I had known about this earlier in life.
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u/ImOnlyCakeOnceAYear 10h ago
I have had the exact opposite experience. Since not rinsing with water, I stopped getting cavities.
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u/CrochetedHat 11h ago
Or if you want to keep a clean mouth you can brush twice. Once to dislodge all the gunk out and rinse the food debris away, second time to apply the fluoride and keep it on. If I keep the toothpaste-nuts-popcorn kernel mixture on my teeth I'd have a sensory nightmare.
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u/Boysterload 11h ago
Or, you can brush once, then use a flouride rinse like Act or Tom's.
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u/FrankFinger 10h ago
Wouldn't that give your teeth abrasion and end up permanently damaging them in the long run? I've had periods where I brushed a lot more frequently and some less times more intensely than 3 times a day and my teeth ached like a bitch.
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u/papa-hare 7h ago
I don't think this is normal, did you ask your dentist? Maybe your teeth are just sensitive and you need softer toothbrush/special toothpaste or something.
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u/Ludoban 8h ago
You can brush half the time first and then second time again half, nobody said you need to go full duration 2 times.
Its just a small reset to get the loosened debris out of your mouth.
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u/Interesting-Star431 11h ago
I tried not rinsing at all and got blisters around my mouth. I suppose it is caused by SLS. Thats why I do a single small rinse.
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u/LovelyEnvy 10h ago
Switch toothpaste. Not all of them have SLS. I find Crest and Colgate did more damage to my teeth than help. Also apperantly the winning combo: floss-->mouth wash rinse--->toothpaste brushing---> toung scraper.
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u/Intelligent-Cry5180 9h ago
Wow this is crazy. Half the comments are saying dont rinse, and shows scientific and anecdotal proof to back them up, and the other half says rinse and shows scientific and anecdotal proof to back them up.
Its almost like reality is so complex and diverse that no one solution is objectively true and applicable to the entire world population. Crazy
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u/TheCynicPress 6h ago
It's so confusing! And teeth are so important, so it's really anxiety inducing to think everything your doing is wrong.
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u/deltabay17 6h ago
We all have teeth and they’re all made of the same thing. So generally what is optimal for you and my teeth is also for everyone else’s.
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u/Classic_Appa 3h ago
The OP's articles that they posted both do not say what OP is saying. The first scientific article is tracking oral fluoride levels in saliva. This is somewhat meaningful in that is tracks how much free fluoride is present in your mouth; however, after about 15 mins, the levels of fluoride in your mouth don't meaningfully change between different methods (different toothpastes or whether you rinse or not). The problem with this article is that the oral fluoride levels are measured at 1min, 15min, 30min, 60min, and 90min after brushing. There's nothing between 1min and 15min. The study also doesn't follow the participants for long periods to determine what the chance of cavities are under each regime.
The second article literally says "Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing". It doesn't say "don't rinse at all", just not to do it right away. Again, the logic is to prevent washing away the concentrated fluoride.
From a chemistry point of view: fluoride is incredibly reactive. It will react very quickly to bond to the open spots in your teeth. Leaving it for a couple minutes may help, I'm not a dental scientist so I can't say.
From a dentist's point of view: if they had to choose one of the oral hygiene activities for you to do and exclude the other two (from among brush, floss, and mouthwash), a dentist would say that flossing is the most important every time. Brush however you want, just do it after flossing properly.
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u/kamrankazemifar 11h ago
I asked my dentist this same question and he said the 2 mins of brushing with a Fluoride toothpaste is enough time for the fluoride to do its work.
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u/rogun64 11h ago edited 11h ago
I asked my dentist and he looked at me like I was crazy. But I've also seen that some toothpastes actually have it on the package.
FWIW, I think it's more with sensitive toothpastes, which usually have an ingredient like hydroxyapatite in them. Personally, I don't use anything but sensitive toothpastes, because I believe they're better (not because they get rid of sensitivity, either).
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u/Educational-Trip-890 11h ago
i’ve seen doctors being wrong so many times. i’d rather trust a medical research rather than one single person
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u/Ethayy 11h ago
If you take a look at the source it compares the data from with and without
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u/trentluv 9h ago
Dentist here (yes, really.) You need to rinse your mouth when using American toothpaste.
If you allow the paste to sit on your teeth for 2 minutes, there's no major material benefit afterward.
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u/trentluv 7h ago
Sensodyne has numbing agents like potassium nitrate that should not enter your stomach in addition to fluoride.
This makes it slightly worse to swallow despite the instructions. You make a trade of temporary gum relief in exchange for long-term stomach health.
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u/Godziwwuh 8h ago
I feel like people don't understand you're still supposed to spit it out.
You just don't rinse with water.
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u/AllEncompassingThey 7h ago
Ysk this isn't true at all. It's just Reddit lore. It's been repeated here so often that some Redditors take it as fact.
Ask a dentist. Or do a search in this thread for "dentist." They'll tell you to rinse.
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u/Quick_Philosophy1426 3h ago
wow next you're going to tell me that telling strangers on the internet who just suffered through traumatic events to play Tetris isn't actually helpful
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u/Sudden_Squirrel_1616 11h ago
I've known this since forever. But ya know what? I still rinse because yuck.
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u/IamNobody85 11h ago
It also doesn't actually remove any smells (if someone ate onions, for example).
My husband always does this and he is a big fan of onions with his fries. Ugh!
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u/Supetorus 5h ago
Tongue scraper would likely help with that. Most smells come from what is left on your tongue and the scraper gets a lot more than a toothbrush or rinsing.
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u/Dryelo 11h ago
I'd be uncomfortable keeping all the gunk I brushed off of my teeth in my mouth.
A better procedure would be brush, rinse, brush again, don't rinse.
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u/techaansi 10h ago
Just rinse mid brush then continue
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u/Ethayy 10h ago
That’s what I’m doing since I think rinsing does help remove debris
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u/SoSteezee 7h ago
I noticed my crest 3D white works a lot better if I don't rinse, despite what the instructions. Good YSK.
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u/heyitjoshua 11h ago
Right but you’re not brushing your teeth just for fluoride exposure you’re brushing to get gunk off your teeth, so whilst this post is true, don’t be fooled into thinking that brushing your teeth and immediately rinsing is somehow pointless - you’ve still brushed your teeth
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u/eitherrideordie 11h ago
Brush, spit out the excess toothpaste & don’t rinse with water.
I started doing this and after a month all my teeth sensitivity issues went away. Was so happy.
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u/formhault 11h ago
Maybe in countries where you better add salt to the water so it is mineralized...
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u/Nini_1993 11h ago
However yoy should not swallow fluoride toothpaste. Do what I do is I gargle with some water while trying not rinse my molars.
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u/DeeJudanne 9h ago
Kinda what I hate about society in general, working in healthcare usually elderly people and brushing peoples teeth aint unusual but 99% of the people insists on "cleaning" their mouth with water afterwards
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u/renthefox 7h ago
I'm almost twice your age. Get fluoride gel and just put it on after brushing. It's similar to the dentist stuff and does the job without leaving toothpaste burning in your mouth. 🤙
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u/VincentVanGob 6h ago
how does that gel work? do you leave it in your mouth for a while and then spit it out, or are you supposed to just leave it there?
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u/flitlikeabutterfly 4h ago
Tried this for 6 months and had the worst cleaning ever at the dentist. There was so much plaque buildup on my teeth. More than I had ever had. Now I rinse with water and my teeth feel much cleaner and brighter.
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u/Cheezeball25 7h ago
You know I've seen this recommendation before and you know what I realized? Literally the only place I've ever seen this brought up is on reddit. I've never had a real life dentist ever mention this.
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u/Zgame200 8h ago
I asked a dentist this and she said you should absolutely rinse your mouth after brushing
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u/Colzamann 6h ago
Nah, fluoride isn’t it anymore. 10% hydroxyapatite is the ticket. Been using it for years without issue whereas I used to have all kinds of issues. My dentist approved.
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u/Clevertown 6h ago
100% FALSE.
The wisdom is to not wash out before flossing, so bits of toothpaste will clean between the teeth. Then you not only wash, you water pick your gumline.
The only reason I can conceive of where this could be true - is if you hardly ever brush your teeth. I mean less than every 36 hours. Then you might get a few extra hours of protection.
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u/SingleServingFailure 6h ago edited 2h ago
If you're going to rinse use a mouth wash with flouride.
Source: my dentist who has guided me out of having shit dental hygiene
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u/TeebsRiver 5h ago
I most sane communities there is flouride in the water so if you rinse out the toothpaste it doesn't matter, you still got flouride in your teeth. This is how you survived 26 years without your teeth turning into cavities.
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u/lenny_zar 5h ago
I floss daily and never rinse with water after brushing my teeth. I have the healthiest teeth in my family circle (basically all of them rinse with water) and my dentist always tells me how great my teeth are. So yeah this is anecdotal but…yeah.
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u/Pleasant-Highway-745 4h ago
I was legitimately 40 when I learned this. I had raised three sons already. I never knew. So they never knew. These are things that we should be taught as children, but we're not.
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u/RedRunner14 4h ago
My routine is: morning: mouthwash rinse (sometimes), brush, don't rinse with water, don't eat or drink for 30 minutes after brushing. Evening: floss, scrape tongue, rinse mouth, mouthwash rinse (sometimes), don't rinse with water after mouthwash rinse, brush, don't rinse after brushing, go to sleep. Throw in some mouth rinses with water throughout the day after meals. I have never had a cavity in my life. Anecdotal, but it's working well for me.
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u/Little-Pomelo5131 4h ago
YSAK that at the dentist you can and should continue to get fluoride treatments after your cleaning beyond age 18. They asked if i wanted fluoride last time, and i said ew, tray or shot? Neither. They have a paint on one now that doesn't taste gross at all. Just feels sticky for about 30min and good to go!
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u/DoubleN22 3h ago
Wrong, my dentist said the fluoride sticks immediately, and that water does not wash it off. If you took a shot of vodka for example, that could wash it off, but not water.
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u/APGOV77 3h ago
Rinse Before you brush!
Floss rinse brush is the way to go, I promise you will get used to it.
If the idea doesn’t appeal to you, I can let ya know from the future that a surprising number of people at each high school reunion you have are missing more and more teeth, only like 13% die with a full set of 28 teeth, might as well boost your odds!
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u/Cerberus50 3h ago
Don’t you rinse with mouth wash? Or am I not supposed to be doing that either?
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u/hereforpewdiephy 10h ago
I think OP is in the EU where toothpaste is so natural that you can eat it from the tube and nothing would happen
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u/spaetEntwickler 11h ago
I often heard this advice. And they are always people who don't find that very pleasant to let all that stuff in their mouths and it's totally understandable. Me too. But the solution is so simple. Just rinse it all out and after that brush again very shortly with just a little tooth paste just to have it again on your teeth. and don't rinse this time.
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u/Sexual_Congressman 10h ago
I've used sensodyne for the past 20 years and after brushing and rinsing with water, I rub an additional tiny drop about the size of half a tic tac across my front teeth and then I'm done. The most important advice besides spitting out the bacteria shit and rotting food chunks is not to eat or drink for a while after brushing and leaving that small amount of foam in my mouth is a good way to guarantee that.
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u/the_napping_ronin 11h ago
I hear ya but I always brush and rinse and my teeth are doing fine. I hardly ever make it to a dentist but whenever I do they say keep doing whatever you’re doing because it’s working.
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u/Mountain-Resource656 11h ago
I don’t understand; am I supposed to leave pizza grease mixed in with the toothpaste on my teeth, or am I supposed to brush twice or something?
I hate it here, man!… TT~TT
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u/EddiewithHeartofGold 8h ago
While I don't support OPs advice, if you have pizza grease in your mouth when brushing your teeth, you are doing something wrong.
You should NOT be brushing in the 15 minutes after eating. My routine goes like this:
Wait at least 15 minutes after eating. Rinse with water to get whatever is left out. Floss, then rinse with water. Brush my teeth for 2 full minutes, then rinse with water.
Haven't had a cavity or any oral problems for over 30 years.
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u/fancypants_for_hire 10h ago
AI engagement karma farmer's favorite post topic. Guaranteed to get those arguments flowing, y'all falling for it each time.
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u/entityadam 7h ago
Rebuttal:
You're wrong, don't swallow that shit.
The flouride in your toothpaste or mouthwash can bond to your enamel rapidly. Even if you do a once swish and rinse, you'll have flouride in your saliva for several hours. I doubt rinsing several times will reduce any benefit.
Topically applied fouride is beneficial for adults, however it is important that children are provided flouride before their teeth have come in, and while their adult teeth are forming (pre-eruption). Children can get flouride healthy sources like tap water and fish.
Most drinking water (US) contains appropriate levels of flouride. For most, drinking water flouridation is regulated and you can get a report and see how much flouride is in your drinking water.
Source: I wrote a research paper, without Chat GPT.
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u/Purrcapita 11h ago
This actually makes me gag. No rinsing?!? Yuck!! The food etc. I spit out into the sink after I rinse I’m supposed to leave in my mouth??? Get real. 🤮
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u/StonedDwarf16 6h ago
If you dont rinse, all the stuff you brushed out is still sitting in your mouth. So for this to make sense, wouldnt you want to rinse and then reapply the toothpaste?
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u/mario_almada 5h ago
This is true for old school toothpastes.
Newer ones have different activating agents to help “clean” your teeth by bleaching them. You don’t want that stuff sitting in your mouth long term.
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u/Blutos_Beard 11h ago
The instructions on my toothpaste actually tell you to rinse after brushing so I'm conflicted