# When brushing your teeth... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900 "2015-03-13T11:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/1 "2015-03-13T11:53:26Z")
…how do you rinse? Or do you rinse at all? Somehow I got into a discussion of tooth brushing habits. After I brush, I always use a little cup (usually a Dixie cup) and rinse my mouth out. A friend thought that was wasteful and stupid. She just cups her hand under the sink and gets the water that way. To me that seems barbaric and sloppy. I’ve only done it in situations where there is no cup. The debate raged when a third person said they don’t rinse at all! They just spit out the excess and go about their day. So, what do you do? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/2 "2015-03-13T12:00:07Z")
I’m “hand under the faucet” myself, but I don’t question how others rinse (or don’t), it seems an odd thing to get worked up about. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/3 "2015-03-13T12:06:06Z")
I was being funny (unsuccessfully I guess). No one was worked up. I just thought it was an interesting question. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/4 "2015-03-13T12:36:54Z")
I spit and generally vacuate my mouth but don’t rinse. After all it’s beneficial to keep the flouride in contact the teeth for as long as possible. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/5 "2015-03-13T12:55:14Z")
None of the above. I stick my head under the faucet to get water in my mouth. Oh, or sometimes I brush my teeth in the shower. So if I do that I face my mouth to the showerhead and fill it with water that way. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/6 "2015-03-13T13:08:14Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > None of the above. I stick my head under the faucet to get water in my mouth. Yeah, that’s what I end up doing most of the time, and if not, it’s the cupped hand trick. The dixie cups are nice, but not really necessary. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/7 "2015-03-13T13:13:41Z")
Dixie cup. I have to rinse anyway, because I use my steroid inhaler before I brush my teeth. Inhaler --\> rinse --\> brush --\> rinse. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/8 "2015-03-13T13:18:57Z")
I’ll rinse and foamy overflow that gets on my face, I’ll rinse my toothbrush, and I’ll rinse out the sink, but nothing beyond that. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/9 "2015-03-13T13:26:26Z")
I use the cupped hand trick. I like this in another way, too, I feel like it wakes me up better - a sudden jolt of icy cold water on the hand and the mouth. Then if I am not directly about to shuffle off into the shower, a splash of cold water on the eyes, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/10 "2015-03-13T13:52:24Z")
I don’t rinse at all. I started not-rinsing when I was using a product for sensitive teeth and I seem to recall it said not to rinse or drink for at least 30 minutes after. It was odd at first, but now I don’t even think about it. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/11 "2015-03-13T13:56:35Z")
I rinse, using a Dixie cup. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/12 "2015-03-13T13:57:28Z")
I put the toothbrush under the running water and transfer the water to my mouth a few times, swish, spit and done. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/13 "2015-03-13T14:01:27Z")
Does it count as rinsing if I just take a drink of water after brushing my teeth? (Which involves swallowing it, not spitting it out; and which is done using the normal, plastic cup that I always have on hand for when I want a drink of water.) ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/14 "2015-03-13T14:01:37Z")
I keep dipping my toothbrush in the running water, I rinse that way. SO, I voted “I don’t rinse” ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/15 "2015-03-13T14:04:42Z")
I fill up the toothbrush bristles with water then suck the water out, swish & spit a couple times. Weird, I know, but I figured it out when I was a little kid. We were too poor to buy Dixie cups, I didn’t like using the one bathroom cup, and the toothbrush was already in my hand anyway. Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/16 "2015-03-13T14:04:44Z")
I use a cup, but not a dixie cup. I use a regular coffee cup that I fill with water. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/17 "2015-03-13T14:13:14Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > None of the above. I stick my head under the faucet to get water in my mouth… I do this too. It wasn’t an option in the poll so I didn’t vote. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/18 "2015-03-13T14:26:09Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I fill up the toothbrush bristles with water then suck the water out, swish & spit a couple times. Weird, I know, but I figured it out when I was a little kid. We were too poor to buy Dixie cups, I didn’t like using the one bathroom cup, and the toothbrush was already in my hand anyway. Works for me. This is what I do. I’m not sure when or why I stated doing it this way. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/19 "2015-03-13T14:30:48Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I fill up the toothbrush bristles with water then suck the water out, swish & spit a couple times. Weird, I know, but I figured it out when I was a little kid. We were too poor to buy Dixie cups, I didn’t like using the one bathroom cup, and the toothbrush was already in my hand anyway. Works for me. I pretty much do that, too. On a tangent, has anyone here ever tried putting a full bead of toothpaste on your brush like they show in toothpaste commercials? I did once when I was a kid and it was the grossest mouthful of paste! I had to spit most of it out before I could finish brushing. Now I know they do that in commercials just because it shows off the product prettily, but when I was a kid I figured they were the toothpaste experts so they would know how it should be applied. LOL! I think that was my first lesson in marketing 101. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900/20 "2015-03-13T15:16:47Z")
I don’t rinse, I don’t think I ever have. I also used a product for sensitive teeth for a while that said no rinsing. And now I use a fluoride toothpaste that also says no rinsing too, so I take my meds beforehand and everything. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-brushing-your-teeth/714900.md?page=2)