Following on from my last blog, the first question my friend asked me was – ‘Should you rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth or not?’ This followed on from the explanation I was giving at the party as to how toothpaste actually works.
When you brush your teeth it is the bristles of your toothbrush that are removing the bacteria in your mouth and this is their most important job. The toothpaste is the medicinal component of your toothbrush regime and it is in effect applying ‘medicine’ to your teeth to help protect them. Toothpastes often contain compounds that help keep bacterial levels at a minimal level and more importantly they offer a ‘remineralisation treatment’ to the teeth. (You can read about remineralisation treatments on my website - www.vjds.co.uk, under the prevention tab).
In order to achieve this it is necessary for the toothpaste to foam in the mouth for at least two minutes (this is the real reason for timing your toothbrush regime). Some dentists advocate not rinsing your mouth after brushing so that the effects of the ‘remineralisation’ continue to work. Personally I am of the opinion that although the compounds in toothpaste work well topically - when applied directly on to your teeth, they are not so good for you systemically - in the rest of your body. So I always rinse my mouth after brushing.