It's such an auto process, I'm not sure if I could even tell you if I wet the brush. I suspect I do. I do floss before brushing but with a water floss appliance that does a better job than I do manually. And I do rinse after brushing, both my mouth and my sink 😊

I use baking soda, so yes, I wet the brush first.

tj

Floss, brush without added water, waterpik.

That’s my new routine only because my hygienist said to floss first. I didn’t press her for why. But I switched to no water on the brush years ago because it feels scrubbier. Glad to hear it’s the right way. I don’t think waterpik replaces floss or vice versa. Something generally comes out with one that didn't come out with the other, and I've played around with the sequence.

Never had toothpaste foam. Pea sized is all ya need. Which helps with your rinsing issue no doubt. Gee I'm a genius I figured all that out on my own. But I have sensitive teeth so need all the protection to stay put.

I am supposed to go around with a mouth full of toothpaste? What is supposed to happen to it. I have always heard we aren't supposed to swallow toothpaste. My dentist wants us to heat the brush under hot water to make it soft before brushing. Not so hard on your teeth.

Some toothpastes contain the pesticide, Triclosan.

I just went and neither the dentist or the hygenist had any complaints. Dentist said I had nice gums!! I wet my brush first and then use toothpaste and rinse. I then floss and then use mouthwash to rinse the mouth after flossing. I don't get how having a mouth full of toothpaste is good for you. I also brush first to get the better taste in my mouth and get rid of the bigger bits of food so the floss can concentrate on the smaller stuff.

My routine > rinse mouth with water first to get rid of any residual food particles, apply toothpaste to brush and wet, brush teeth, end with lightly brushing tongue and inside of cheeks. Floss before brushing, mouthwash after brushing. I could not brush and then not rinse, ugh.

I also had my teeth cleaned recently with good scores. I floss first, use a little interdental brush, add toothpaste to brush and wet, use tongue scraper then swish with mouthwash.

Grab extra soft toothbrush, apply Tom's of Maine toothpaste, brush, rinse. Floss, rinse. No mouthwash used or needed.

My dentist (family member) told me the order doesn't matter because there's bacteria in your mouth no matter what you do and it's there for a good reason. Same rationale discourages using mouthwash. Product choice is personal preference, better to brush even without toothpaste than to not brush at all. Tooth brushing is as much for the gums as for the teeth.

In the morning I brush with toothpaste on a dry brush. Light rinse.

Bedtime I brush and floss.

I can't stand the feel of anything stuck between my teeth so I will sometimes floss after a meal. I keep little individually wrapped floss sticks in my EDC bags in my vehicles.

Floss, rinse well, toothpaste on brush with a bit of water, brush, no rinse. I had read about the no rinsing after brushing or mouthwash about a year ago, so I no longer rinse or drink water for 30 minutes after I brush. Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of toothpaste left in my mouth. I would think doing a final rinse with mouthwash would be acceptable if you really felt the need for a rinse. Then, you could wait the 30 minutes before drinking any water so as to get maximum protection.

I would have to rinse after brushing. For protection, one could then use a flouride rinse.

EDC is what?

I have switched to using a water floss appliance too and think it does a better job, but i still keep a floss thingy handy for when I am away from home. I rinse first, then floss, then brush, sans water. I used to add water but stopped when I figured that really wasn’t necessary. Maybe i read that somewhere a long time ago.

'"Some toothpastes contain the pesticide, Triclosan.'" It's effective in fighting gingivitis. I got periodontal disease years ago because of poor tooth cleaning habits and lack of check ups, and learned my lesson the hard way. The periodontist expect me to lose teeth in all four corners of my mouth.

I got treatment to solve the initial problem (but gingivitis never goes away) and I've kept things under control for over 25 years with a mix of the right toothpaste, an electric tooth brush, interdental brushes and floss sticks. I almost never use mouth wash. (I finally lost one tooth about 4 years ago. The rest are still intact). My dentist now describes me as a model for dental hygiene ;)

@Elmer J Fudd, EDC = Every Day Carry.

Floss first. Sometimes rinse after, sometimes not.

Load toothpaste onto the toothbrush dry. I learned several years ago that the mouth shouldn't be rinsed after brushing.

I've never done it this way until now, but my dentist says I do a great job.

The little brush-on-a-stick (interdental brush?) is my friend. I've brushed first, then used this and am amazed at how much the toothbrush misses. Now I'll try using the stick first, then rinse, and only last scrub with paste on a dry brush.

chisue, those interdental brushes are great. I also like tuft brushes like this…

Thanks fun2B. I've never understood why people insist on using ANPDs. Do they expect everyone and anyone knows what they're referring to? Is it uncool to not know one?

Oh, that's Acronyms Not Previously Defined.

WildChild's use of EDC is my first exposure. I found the translation for it easily via Google.

chloebud -- Thanks for the tip. Those would be useful to get behind my wisdom teeth. (Three emerged and I kept 'em, the orthodontist having pulled four of my 'corner' teeth, back in the day when that was routine.)

Floss first, rinse, put toothpasteon rechargeable toothbrush, brush each quadrant of my mouth until the brush tells me to move, then rinse. I like to floss first so i brush away any debris it loosened. I use the GUM picks during the day.

" Don't rinse after brushing. "

I'm not comfortable leaving fluoride in my mouth to absorb, day after day after day. I'm probably overstating the fluoride risks, but I'll keep rinsing and spitting after brushing.

" I'm probably overstating the fluoride risks, "

This is something to either know or not know, not to guess or have a feeling about. Those who don't know should follow the advice of their dentist.

If the answer is black and white, then what is it? If it’s not black snd white, what makes a dentist’s ”feelings” any better than anyone else’s? In particular better than those of the next dentist who gives a different answer?

This is the difficulty I have with referring any and all medical questions to doctors. There’s value in getting different perspectives and educating oneself in order to ask informed questions and make informed decisions. Especially when things aren’t black and white.

[Context: Along with a spine doctor, I’m currently wondering why my 94 year old mother has apparently never had a bone density test, despite being under the care of the same board certified internist for many years. I may not be the expert here, but I’m happy to know enough to question it.)

chisue, both my dentist and periodontist include the tuft toothbrushes in their ”goody bag” when you have your teeth cleaned. I’ve not seen them in stores but definitely online. I especially like them for the inside of my lower front teeth.

I recall something about that no rising thing quite some time ago. I compromise and rinse lightly, not thoroughly. I also swish toothpaste around like mouthwash so more fluoride can get between my teeth.

I floss and rinse with water before brushing.

Maybe your dentist is different than others, food, but oral health advice from a dentist is usually science based or a trained person's opinion from professional practice experiences. Not a whim or a feeling.

Practicing dentistry has elements of art as well as science because of the aesthetics involved in treatments and restorations but stuff like the general health of the mouth, gums and teeth have been studied since Julius Caesar had a wisdom tooth pulled. Most of that part of a dental education and patient practice are not particularly controversial, as I understand it. Yes, what I know was learned second-hand.

That’s a long way of saying there’s a right and wrong answer. So what is it, rinse or not?

" This is something to either know or not know, not to guess or have a feeling about. "

It's actually something to actually have a feeling about, just like every other risk we take in life, because we know it's greater than zero but we can't know how much.....Nobody knows how much fluoride is in the exact amount of a particular brand of toothpaste anyone uses on every day. And nobody knows exactly how much fluoride is absorbed from that unknown amount of whatever brand of toothpaste someone uses on each day, because almost everyone has it in their mouths for an unknown and variable amount of time on each day. And different people will be more or less efficient on rinsing after spitting (if they rinse), and different people will add something to eat or drink a variable amount of time after brushing.

Since I know it's greater than zero, I can't "know or not know" if it's a risk or how much. You can be happy to say "I don't know" when you know there's a risk but it's not quantified, I'll take a guess.

" If it’s not black snd white, what makes a dentist’s ”feelings” any better than anyone else’s? "

Because they're trained and have years or decades of experience and observation of hundreds of patients.

Because they're trained and have years or decades of experience and observation of hundreds of patients.

Umm, you just got through informing Elmer of several variables and unknowns, and in the next breath tell me dentists’ feelings are validated by experience and anecdotal evidence? I call BS. Unless the dentist is performing a study of many patients over the course of many years, documenting brushing habits and analyzing outcomes for this specific variable, they don’t know anything more than what’s been taught to them or real studies they’ve read. Let’s start with the basics: has your dentist ever asked you which you do, without making a recommendation, to further aid their study?

I’m sure there are many areas where dentists will form opinions based on their experience and observing outcomes. I am more than skeptical that “rinse or not” is among them. If this has been properly studied then there’s either a right and wrong answer, or, a list of pros and cons that patients can consider to make an informed decision.

Anyone claiming to know an objective answer is free post it.

I always floss before brushing, but I often do not used toothpaste, and so rinsing or not rinsing becomes a non-issue. I often floss twice a day, and my dentist says that I am doing a good job.

I occasionally use toothpaste, but I do very well without it.

I use a floss stick holder https://www.amazon.com/Artibetter-Reusable-Holder-Dental-Flosser/dp/B07VNKQVM4?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A23DXUHC6WRTJ for my back teeth and a dental floss pick https://oralb.com/en-us/products/more-products/floss/glide-bacteria-guard-dental-floss-picks/ for my front teeth. I do not like trying to stick my hands in my mouth.

I have great teeth.

In the morning, I floss, rinse, mouthwash, rinse, brush using toothpaste, rinse, mouthwash. Then I’ll brush using toothpaste at least one more time during the day and maybe mouthwash again depending on what I ate for lunch. Before bedtime I floss, rinse, brush and rinse.

I still have all my teeth except my wisdom teeth. I visit the dentist and have a cleaning every nine months. The dentist and hygienist always tell me to keep up the great work because it seems to be working for me. They’ve never asked me my routine. And I don’t know what their advice would be.

I don’t use toothpicks.

eta To answer the OP, I use a wet toothbrush.

My conversations with the dentist relative are not daily, more like weekly, and the last one just happened. If I remember, I'll ask next time. I have a suspicion (an unsupported guess) what the answer is. It's an obvious one, but there's no basis for it so I'll keep it to myself.

TV likes to speak about things as if she knows what she's talking about. People can buy it, I don't. Yeah, I know, the boo birds will point out the last comment is like a pot calling the kettle black. Go for it.

I suspect I know what tjey’ll say, too. Things in your mouth either go down or out. The tube says do not swallow. Ergo…

The question I had in mind is whether to rinse or not after brushing and what you said is not what I'd thought of.

" Umm, you just got through informing Elmer of several variables and unknowns, and in the next breath tell me dentists’ feelings are validated by experience and anecdotal evidence? I call BS. "

No need to call BS.......there are lots of variables and unknowns, but dentists see many more teeth an any individual, so they probably see patterns where we cannot. They have training to recognize pathology as well as variations of normal, which most of us do not. They won't know the amount of fluoride in anyone's mouth any more than we do, but their experience allows them to make a more educated guess as to the benefits and risks of different oral health routines than we do.

Exactly.

Unless the dentist is querying their pationta about their longtime history with this one particler variable, and adjusting for other variables, their anecdotal evidence for this one variablw is meaningless at best. Either there’s legitimate science and studies behind this or there aren’t.

how do you clean a tuba?

... tuba toothpaste

for food:

Dentists in professional practice don't do studies. Researchers at dental schools do. Such findings as and when generally accepted become part of the body of knowledge conveyed in professional training - dental schools, in this case. The skills and technical knowledge applied when in professional practice are an amalgam of training and experience. (I thought it clever how I worked that word in).

I was able to ask the question about rinse or don't rinse, swallow or spit, and was told their opinions, along the lines of- "It depends on the patient, the patient's oral history, and what's the current state of the patient's dental health and general health. Most general dentists don't pay as much attention to their patients' hygiene practices as they should. Ask for advice from the dentist (not the hygienist) and hopefully it will be given thoughtfully. If the patient is making the decision, the answer is, do what you want, it doesn't matter. See a dentist regularly and if something different is indicated, you hopefully will be so informed. "

This dentist did a 3 year residency after dental school and is board certified as a specialist.

Deleting prior response - Sorry I just re-read more carefully and saw the actual answer: It doesn't matter. I do accept that. I goofed here and own it, too many words. Apologies.

(and yes, amalgam was clever!)