# What is the dope on toothbrushing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798 "2018-10-31T19:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/21 "2018-11-01T11:18:54Z")
My dentist stated **not** to rinse after brushing with my fluoride toothpaste. I’m 65 and still have a decent set of teeth (no dentures.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/22 "2018-11-01T11:44:05Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > Optional cleaning of back of tongue with a tongue cleaning tool, not the brush as that makes me gag. I read a novel 40 years ago (no idea what novel it was) that describes a bulimic woman who routinely used the handle of her toothbrush to induce vomiting, then flipped the tool 180 degrees to brush afterwards. Every so often I’ll recall this while brushing. I actually have to pause, take a breath, and regroup before continuing my tooth brushing. If I could live my life over, I’d omit that novel from my reading list. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/23 "2018-11-01T12:28:52Z")
I’m intrigued by this no-rinse theory. Doesn’t brushing dislodge food particles? If so, why would you want those lying around in your mouth? Is the assumption that you’ll swallow them the next time you drink something? And does this still hold true for people who don’t use fluoride toothpaste? ((Yes, yes, I use toothpaste with fluoride.) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/24 "2018-11-01T14:01:35Z")
We have well water. When my kids were small I bought fluoridated bottled water for them to rinse with til a dentist told me to have them brush and not rinse afterwards. Especially at night. Don’t forget to floss. I am a big flosser. I have teeth that catch bits of stuff. I use floss picks. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/25 "2018-11-01T14:06:22Z")
[quote=“friedo, post:10, topic:823798”] It’s been well-established for some time that rinsing is unnecessary and often detrimental. Leaving some toothpaste residue on your teeth allows the fluoride to work better. Here’s a > [@](#): > > ([How to keep your teeth clean - NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-keep-your-teeth-clean/)) from the UK NHS on the topic: However, keep in mind that the UK does not have as much water fluoridation as the US. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/26 "2018-11-01T14:24:22Z")
I brush after breakfast, no rinsing, and just before bed. Why is it not advised to brush straight after a meal? Personally, I can’t eat a thing for about an hour after brushing as the mintiness tarnishes every flavour. It seems logical to brush after a meal to get the crap out of your mouth before it starts damaging your teeth. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/27 "2018-11-01T14:34:11Z")
I drink a protein shake for breakfast every day, normally in the car on the way to work, which doesn’t stay in contact with my teeth for long. That being the case, I brush before breakfast, I guess. The routine goes: brush teeth, brush palate and tongue briefly, water rinse, mouthwash (Listerine) swish and gargle. Just in the morning, I don’t bother at night. I have floss, picks, and mini-brushes in my desk at work for after-lunch (or whenever needed) care. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/28 "2018-11-01T14:36:24Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I’m intrigued by this no-rinse theory. Doesn’t brushing dislodge food particles? If so, why would you want those lying around in your mouth? Is the assumption that you’ll swallow them the next time you drink something? > > And does this still hold true for people who don’t use fluoride toothpaste? ((Yes, yes, I use toothpaste with fluoride.) You still spit. Almost all of those food particles will go out with the toothpaste saliva froth you spit out. And you swallow all the time, not just when you drink something. Saliva production is much lower when you’re not in the process of eating, but unless you suffer from dry mouth you are constantly producing more and swallowing it from time to time. That said, I rinse once after brushing my teeth. I doubt it makes a big enough difference to matter. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/29 "2018-11-01T15:09:06Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > How can you stand to eat or drink anything right after brushing? Doesn’t your breakfast taste horrible that way? I’m guessing you don’t have OJ for breakfast. I rarely eat right after brushing—Brush, flush eyes with water, then Triple-S. I rarely eat until after I arrive at work. If i do have sometime it begins with water, tea, or coffee, and the toothpaste flavor doesn’t last long anyway. I no longer have anything as sweet as orange juice anyway. > [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > Why is it not advised to brush straight after a meal? Personally, I can’t eat a thing for about an hour after brushing as the mintiness tarnishes every flavour. Right after you eat is when your tooth enamel is weakest, because of the acids and other chemicals created by the interaction of food and saliva. If you brush right then you’re essentially scraping away at the weakened enamel with fluoride, which is the last thing you want to do. > [@](#): > > It seems logical to brush after a meal to get the crap out of your mouth before it starts damaging your teeth. That’s what the rinsing accomplishes. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/30 "2018-11-01T16:02:47Z")
I remember as a kid, a dental hygienist came to our school to teach us good dental care and they definitely told us to rinse after brushing. The reason, they said, is that most toothpaste contains some sugar and you don’t want to leave that sitting on your teeth. It’s never crossed my mind not to rinse, but I’ll give it a try. Either that hygienist was wrong or, more likely, toothpaste has changed since the 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/31 "2018-11-01T16:25:38Z")
I brush twice a day: shortly after I wake up in the morning, and before I go to bed at night. I don’t eat breakfast, and it’s likely to be 3-4 hours after I brush my teeth that I eat anything, or drink anything besides coffee, so first thing makes sense. I rinse after brushing, and I’ve lost track of how many years it’s been since I’ve had so much as a cavity. Since that’s been working, no reason to change. I floss _after_ brushing when\* I floss, because if there’s gunk in my mouth, why would I want to possibly get that gunk into the crease between tooth and gum? \*One of my teeth is an implant, and I floss around that sucker every time I brush. But I only floss the rest of my mouth once every 2-3 weeks maybe. I don’t know that anyone’s ever shown that your gums will be a lot healthier if you floss daily rather than, say, weekly or monthly. Sure, there’s no harm in it if you feel like doing it that frequently, but if you don’t, is it really that big a deal? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/32 "2018-11-01T16:27:06Z")
I’m under the impression that toothpaste is essentially optional. The only benefit it provides is a pleasing flavor. The brushing is the important part. Presuming you get fluoride some other way, such as the local water supply or a fluoride rinse. Otherwise, toothpaste provides fluoride. In which case, rinsing afterwards is counterproductive. Regards to sugar in toothpaste, [the master speaks](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/166/do-some-brands-of-toothpaste-contain-sugar/). ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/33 "2018-11-01T16:58:49Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’m under the impression that toothpaste is essentially optional. The only benefit it provides is a pleasing flavor. Toothpaste also provides abrasives, which help clean, and detergents, which help clean much like washing with soap helps clean better than water alone. There are other ingredients than fluoride in some toothpastes that there is evidence is useful for oral health, such as triclosan: > [@](#): > > CONCLUSIONS: > This systematic review indicates that a dentifrice that contains triclosan/copolymer provides a more effective level of plaque control and periodontal health than a conventional fluoride dentifrice. > **[Triclosan-containing toothpastes reduce plaque and gingivitis - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16208383/)** > > This systematic review indicates that a dentifrice that contains triclosan/copolymer provides a more effective level of plaque control and periodontal health than a conventional fluoride dentifrice. > [@](#): > > Conclusion > Results from this study have shown that triclosan containing toothpaste formulations were more effective in controlling the oral microflora compared to non-triclosan containing synthetic toothpastes. > **[Antimicrobial Efficacy of Different Toothpastes and Mouthrinses: An In Vitro...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3177399/)** > > Anti-microbial agents have been used as a chemotherapeutic agent to improve oral health. This in vitro study was carried out to determine antimicrobial efficacy of different toothpastes and mouthrinses against the oral pathogens.A total of five... ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/34 "2018-11-01T17:32:02Z")
I always brush first thing in the morning. Maybe second if I really need to piss. Then right before I go to bed. Nothing fancy, maybe floss once a week or after a stringy meal or popcorn. Gargle mouthwash only on special occasions. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/35 "2018-11-01T17:41:25Z")
My teeth are flossed twice a year, assuming I make both dental appointments. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/36 "2018-11-01T18:01:00Z")
Brush my teeth first thing in the morning. Take symbicort, rinse mouth with water because failure to rinse after asthma medicines such as this can lead to thrush. Eat breakfast about an hour, hour and a half later. Use gum rinse (prescribed) after lunch along with floss or picks if lunch insists on hanging out for an afternoon performance. After work, repeat the asthma meds routine. Brush my teeth again before going to bed and after I take my night time medicine. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/37 "2018-11-01T18:13:45Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I remember as a kid, a dental hygienist came to our school to teach us good dental care and they definitely told us to rinse after brushing. The reason, they said, is that most toothpaste contains some sugar and you don’t want to leave that sitting on your teeth. It’s never crossed my mind not to rinse, but I’ll give it a try. Either that hygienist was wrong or, more likely, toothpaste has changed since the 1970s. Toothpaste has changed, they now use artificial sweeteners. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/38 "2018-11-01T18:16:40Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > My teeth are flossed twice a year, assuming I make both dental appointments. Same here, and the dentist always compliments my teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/39 "2018-11-02T07:16:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I rarely eat right after brushing—Brush, flush eyes with water, then Triple-S. I rarely eat until after I arrive at work. If i do have sometime it begins with water, tea, or coffee, and the toothpaste flavor doesn’t last long anyway. I no longer have anything as sweet as orange juice anyway. > > Right after you eat is when your tooth enamel is weakest, because of the acids and other chemicals created by the interaction of food and saliva. > > If you brush right then you’re essentially scraping away at the weakened enamel with fluoride, which is the last thing you want to do. > > That’s what the rinsing accomplishes. Huh. Would it make sense to eat, then wait, say, half an hour, then brush your teeth? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798/40 "2018-11-02T08:33:54Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I remember as a kid, a dental hygienist came to our school to teach us good dental care and they definitely told us to rinse after brushing. The reason, they said, is that most toothpaste contains some sugar and you don’t want to leave that sitting on your teeth. It’s never crossed my mind not to rinse, but I’ll give it a try. Either that hygienist was wrong or, more likely, toothpaste has changed since the 1970s. One of my clients was a toothcare products manufacturer; the idea of putting sugar in toothpaste would have made heads explode in that company. The formulations of pastes and washes were \>95% the same from one to another, with that \<5% due to opaque vs translucid paste, plus texture, plus coloring, plus taste. Taste was pretty much a matter of choosing the correct esters: sugar and sweeteners didn’t even enter the warehouse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-dope-on-toothbrushing/823798.md?page=3)