From rinsing to whitening – why you're looking after your mouth wrong

A Twitter discussion has revealed that you don’t need to moisten your toothbrush before using it. Here are five other tips for top-notch oral hygiene

A recent lively Twitter discussion revealed, as these things often do, the existence of a group of utter barbarians: people who do not wet their toothbrush before brushing their teeth. It is almost impossible to believe such people exist, let alone that their method works, but it does. Apparently, it is a matter of preference. “A dry brush increases friction with the bristles and won’t dilute the fluoride in the toothpaste, while a wet toothbrush adds moisture and, for most people, makes the brushing experience more pleasant,” says Damien Walmsley, a scientific adviser for the British Dental Association. “Whatever your preference, what really matters is that teeth should be brushed twice a day, for at least two minutes, with a fluoride toothpaste, including last thing at night.” So, if it is not necessary to add water, what else might we rethink in the dental area?

Continue reading... February 19, 2018 at 11:10PM