When it comes to brushing our teeth, one of the ingrained steps of doing so is to rinse out the mouth. This can be done several ways, either a cup kept in the bathroom (and some are shared among family members), a paper, disposable cup bought in bulk, cupping your hands and bringing the water to your mouth, or slurping right from the faucet. Believe it or not, what you use to do so can actually determine how effective your tooth brushing session really was. Many online forums, from body builders to Yahoo answers, have a version of this question floating around and loaded with people chiming in. Which option is the best for your oral health?
The Dread(full)y Germy Shared Cup
If you’re leaving a cup on a bathroom sink, you’re not doing your mouth any favors. This is especially true if the cup is also shared. A recent U.S. wide study performed by household parents provided some shocking statistics about how their children finish off their tooth brushing routine with rinsing. Four out of five American Children rinse after each tooth brushing routine. Of those, nearly 50% share a non-disposible cup for rinsing out the toothpaste.
Why is this a problem? Well, firstly cold and flu viruses can hang out on household rinsing glasses for as many as 72 hours. That means that your children’s tooth rinsing shared cups could be keeping that persistent illness circulating in your household.
A second reason a shared, non-disposable cup isn’t the best choice for you or your child has to do with indoor pollution. The very air of a modern American home can be 2-5 times, and in some cases 100 times, more dangerous than the worst outside air pollution recorded. This is due to dust and dust mites, gas vapors, viruses and germs from dirty ventilation systems, asbestos, and other air borne bits of older buildings. Additionally, in a bathroom we run the risk of fecal matter from the droplets released each time a toilet flushes also getting onto and in that rinsing cup. If the cup is kept within six feet, you can bet those bacterial micro-drops are contaminating your family’s rinsing cups.
In addition to germs, viruses and toilet water, sharing a cup can also transfer oral bacteria between family members. This could be harmless bacteria that naturally live there, but it can also be infectious ones that cause oral problems like dental caries (cavities) and gum disease. Everyday Health published an article that reported findings on how many young aged children have streptococcus mutans bacteria (those that cause cavities) in their mouth: 30% of three year olds, 60% of six year olds, and almost 80% of two year olds.
Some people argue that if you rinse off and out the cup or even clean it after every use, than you shouldn’t have to worry about all the above contaminants. I’d almost argue you should wash it before and after use to hope to not get something gross into your mouth. There are a couple alternatives to the reusable cup that you should consider instead.
Safer Options for Post-Toothbrushing Mouth Rinsing
The feeling of fresh water swishing away toothbrush foam and any remaining bacteria is desired by many people. Instead of using a glass or cup, often people with bring water to their mouth with their hands or suck water up from the water running out of their facet. While these can be okay, dirty hands also offer risk of infestation or recontamination of the mouth, and slurping water like a dog or cat might be considered slacking manners.
Most dentists and health care professionals highly suggest a by-gone alternative when rinsing out the mouth: the small disposable paper cup. Mothers in earlier decades used these to keep their bathroom kitchen clean and children healthy, and we should keep up this tradition. By throwing away any remaining germs, and having a supply of cups so no one shares them after brushing, you’re keeping all those bacteria and germs at bay.
Something Else to Consider
Though rinsing is common practice, some dentists actually want to dissuade their patients from rinsing at all. They argue that rinsing away toothpaste still in your mouth shortens the time fluoride has to work on your tooth surfaces. While this theory hasn’t been proven in studies, any extra time fluoride has to strengthen your teeth’s natural defense (enamel) is a good thing. If you can’t stand the after taste of toothpaste or the feel of stain-removing granules that it leaves behind, then consider rinsing your mouth out with fluoride mouthwash instead. On the reverse of the above argument is the concern of ingesting too much fluoride.
Consult a Dentist
If you’re unsure of how to approach rinsing your mouth during your tooth cleaning routine, definitely have a discussion with your dentist. He or she can offer advice based on your specific needs and the strength of your teeth, as well as the quality of your local water source and some other factors.
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