Dentists warn Americans to STOP rinsing after brushing their teeth

You may be brushing your teeth incorrectly, leading dentists warn.

According to experts, rinsing your mouth with water after brushing will negate some of the benefits you get from brushing.

The best way to ensure that your pearly whites stay intact is to brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste, spit it out and go about your business.

When you rinse your teeth after brushing, you rinse fluoride – a chemical that protects tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay – from your teeth.

“You’re essentially washing away the active ingredients of the toothpaste you just applied to your teeth,” Dr. Margherita Fontana, a professor of dentistry at the University of Michigan, told me. The Washington Post.

Fluoride is a mineral that is stored in rocks and released into the air, soil and water. According to the CDC. It is found in very small amounts in brewed black tea, raisins and potatoes.

When fluoride is added to the tooth surface, it helps strengthen the enamel by protecting against the acid naturally produced by the bacteria that live in the mouth.

The bacteria go into overdrive if you eat a diet high in sugar or if you slack off on oral care.

If the acid sits on your teeth for too long, it can cause holes in your enamel and cause cavities or other complications, according to the CDC.

The bacteria that live on your teeth produce acid, which will eat away at your teeth if you don’t brush it away

The protective effects of fluoride were first discovered in the early 20th century by American and Italian dentists.

Later, the US began a large-scale test of adding fluoride to the water supplies of four different cities starting in 1945.

By 1949, the number of cavities in these cities was so low that the US took action to make fluoridated water a national standard. As of 2020, approximately 62.9 percent of Americans used fluoridated water supplies. According to the CDC.

The organization named this near-national water fluoridation one of the 10 largest public health performance of the 20th century.

Suffice it to say, dentists are pretty convinced that fluoride is good for your teeth. They recommend brushing twice a day with a toothpaste that contains fluoride.

In large amounts, fluoride can be toxic, leading to stomach pain and diarrhea, according to the researchers Medscape.

But dentists have performed many of these types of tests 2019 review of nearly 12,000 patients, showing that toothpastes containing 1,500 ppm fluoride are safe for long-term use and unlikely to cause toxicity.

“If your toothpaste contains active ingredients like fluoride and potassium nitrate, you’ll want to spit and not rinse,” says Dr. Joyce Kahng, cosmetic and restorative dentist based in California, shared on TikTok.

Commentators couldn’t believe the news. Several people echoed the sentiments of user don_szalaya, who said, “It’s hard not to do it, I’ve done it all my life.”

So if you’re a chronic rinser and can’t stand the feeling of leaving toothpaste in your teeth, you can rinse your mouth with a fluoride mouthwash instead of water, Fontana said.

Or if you can handle it, you can brush your teeth, wait 20 minutes and then rinse.

But actually, the fluoride and other active ingredients in the toothpaste work best if you leave them on your teeth, Kahng said.