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Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing

nhs.uk

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Re: Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing

#11

Post by starpilot »

zzleeper wrote: post #8
stygiansonic wrote: post #2

Also from the article: " It's best to floss before brushing your teeth. "

Why? I would have thought it makes more sense to brush, then floss, then wash at the end so the fluoride stays longer

I'm guessing the toothpaste is able to penetrate the gaps that were filled by debris.

Re: Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing

#15

Post by sillysaurusx »

It's weird that we don't know what teeth were like before fluoride was invented. The knowledge isn't directly accessible to everyday people. Sure, we know some examples, but what about the averages? Was everyone's teeth just completely screwed, all the time? How could evolution work that way? We need our teeth to eat.

It's further complicated by the invention of processed sugar, which ruins teeth. Before that, presumably it wasn't quite as bad to live without fluoride. But again, the knowledge seems kind of hard to find.

Anecdotally, I lucked out by not listening to a dentist when they said one of my teeth had to come out. Still have it six years later, and it's fine. Apparently it was a rather intense toothache that eventually went away.

Re: Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing

#16

Post by minitech »

ianai wrote: post #7
rococode wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if this is correct but when I was in college I noticed a couple guys who just spit and didn't rinse at all. Like, ever. They just brush, spit out some toothpaste, and then move on to the next step of their routine. At the time it seemed kinda freaky to me since I always rinse the toothpaste out when I finish brushing, but maybe they were doing it right... I can't get over the feeling over toothpaste stuc…

If it kills the bacteria on your mouth that’s got to hurt your gut too.

Brushing is mainly supposed to mechanically take the bacteria off of your teeth, like washing your hands, not kill them chemically. The fluoride exists to help keep enamel intact.

Re: Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing

#17

Post by TheAdamAndChe »

ianai wrote: post #7
rococode wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if this is correct but when I was in college I noticed a couple guys who just spit and didn't rinse at all. Like, ever. They just brush, spit out some toothpaste, and then move on to the next step of their routine. At the time it seemed kinda freaky to me since I always rinse the toothpaste out when I finish brushing, but maybe they were doing it right... I can't get over the feeling over toothpaste stuc…

If it kills the bacteria on your mouth that’s got to hurt your gut too.

It's not about killing bacteria, its about leaving fluoride ions in a slightly basic or at least nonacidic environment for long enough to convert hydroxyapatite to fluorohydroxyapatite. This chemical reaction takes time, but considerably strengthens your teeth against corrosion and prevents cavities.

Re: Don't rinse with water straight after toothbrushing

#19

Post by jonathanbull »

asdff wrote: post #13

In the US, drinking water supplemented with fluoride for this very reason, so feel free to rinse out your dislodged food scraps after brushing and ignore this advice from the NHS.

Water in the UK is also supplemented with flouride. I think the point is that toothpaste contains more.
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