Should You Rinse Your Mouth With Water After Brushing?

By Amber-Lee, IRDH16 Years Experience

~28 sec watchVideo FAQ

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Quick Answer

No. Toothpaste is a delivery system for fluoride, and rinsing with water washes it away before it can work. Spit out what is left after brushing, leave your mouth unrinsed, and do not eat or drink for half an hour. That gives the fluoride time to soak into your teeth and help prevent cavities. The same goes for sensitivity toothpaste.

More about cavity prevention in Riverview.

Answered by the team at Bright White Dental Hygiene Clinic in Riverview, NB, serving Moncton and Dieppe.

Key Takeaways

1Spit, do not rinse.
2Wait half an hour before you eat or drink.
3Sensitivity toothpaste needs the same time to work.

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Video Transcript: Should You Rinse Your Mouth With Water After Brushing?

Full transcript of the video answer on whether you should rinse your mouth with water after brushing, given by Amber-Lee, IRDH, at Bright White Dental Hygiene Clinic in Riverview, NB, serving Moncton and Dieppe.

Question: Should You Rinse Your Mouth With Water After Brushing?

“You should not rinse your mouth with water after brushing your teeth. The way that toothpaste works is it's a delivery system for fluoride. If you spit all the toothpaste out, you don't want to eat or drink for half an hour after. This allows the fluoride to be absorbed into the tooth structure so that it can actually work to prevent cavities. The same thing goes for sensitivity toothpaste. If you're brushing your teeth with a sensitivity toothpaste and then you're rinsing after, you're just spitting everything down the drain, and it doesn't get a chance to absorb.”

Why Rinsing Undoes the Work

Fluoride protects enamel while it stays in your mouth, and the leftover film of toothpaste keeps it there. A mouthful of water dilutes it straight away. The UK's national oral health guidance tells people to spit out after brushing and not rinse with water, for exactly this reason.

It Takes a Few Days to Get Used To

Most people grew up rinsing, so the leftover taste feels odd at first. Using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste makes it easier. If you need to, spit a second time. Bedtime is the most useful time to do this, because your mouth makes less saliva while you sleep.

When You Should Rinse

This advice is for ordinary brushing. If your hygienist or dentist has given you a special rinse or told you to rinse after a treatment, follow what they said. Parents should keep supervising children, who need to learn to spit the paste out and not swallow it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions people search right after this one.

It is best to wait half an hour so the fluoride has time to work. If you really need a sip before then, a small one does less harm than a full rinse.

Not straight after, since it can wash away the fluoride from your toothpaste. Use it at another time of day, or ask your hygienist if you have been given a fluoride rinse.

No. Sensitivity toothpaste needs time on your teeth to work, so spit it out and leave it. Amber-Lee gives the same half-hour advice as for regular toothpaste.