Quick Answer
The general recommendation is to wait at least 30 minutes after brushing your teeth before drinking water. This allows time for the fluoride in toothpaste to work and strengthen your tooth enamel before being washed away by water.
When Should You Avoid Water After Brushing?
After you brush your teeth, you should avoid drinking water or rinsing your mouth out for at least 30 minutes. This gives the fluoride from the toothpaste time to bind to your teeth and help strengthen and protect the enamel.
If you drink water too soon after brushing, you can wash away much of the fluoride before it has time to take effect. This reduces the beneficial effects of brushing with a fluoride toothpaste.
30 Minutes for Maximum Fluoride Benefits
Dental professionals generally recommend waiting at least 30 minutes between brushing and drinking water. This timeline allows for the fluoride to fully absorb into the enamel on your teeth.
Some dentists even advise waiting a full 60 minutes for maximum fluoride exposure and dental benefits. However, waiting just 30 minutes is adequate for most people.
Avoid Other Liquids Too
It’s not just water you need to avoid after brushing. Other beverages can also wash away fluoride and interrupt the strengthening process.
Beverages like coffee, tea, juice and soda should also be avoided for 30 minutes after brushing. Even mouthwashes should be used before brushing instead of after so as not to dilute the fluoride.
Why Waiting 30 Minutes is Important
Waiting at least 30 minutes between brushing and drinking water is important for allowing the fluoride in toothpaste to work effectively. Here are some of the benefits of waiting:
- Allows fluoride to fully absorb into tooth enamel.
- Maximizes strengthening and cavity prevention benefits.
- Gives fluoride time to bind to enamel proteins.
- Prevents dissolution of calcium phosphate salts in enamel.
- Reduces risk of cavities and tooth decay.
When you wait 30 minutes before drinking water, you give the fluoride enough time to start rebuilding and remineralizing enamel crystals. This helps strengthen teeth and reverse very early signs of tooth decay.
Drinking water too soon can wash away much of the fluoride before it has a chance to work, minimizing its beneficial effects.
Tips for Getting the Most from Fluoride Toothpaste
To get the maximum strengthening and cavity prevention benefits from your fluoride toothpaste, follow these tips:
1. Brush at least twice daily
Brushing just once a day with fluoride toothpaste helps strengthen enamel. But brushing twice per day provides much greater benefits.
Aim to brush your teeth first thing in the morning and right before bedtime. Make sure to brush for a full two minutes each time.
2. Don’t rinse after brushing
After brushing, spit out any excess toothpaste but don’t rinse with water. Rinsing washes away the fluoride left behind in your mouth before it has time to absorb.
Leaving some toothpaste in your mouth allows the fluoride to fully absorb and get to work.
3. Wait 30-60 minutes before drinking
Resist the urge to drink water, coffee or other beverages for at least 30 minutes after brushing. Waiting a full 60 minutes is even better if you can.
This gives the fluoride plenty of time to bind to enamel and start strengthening your teeth.
4. Use a fluoride mouthwash at a different time
Fluoride mouthwashes enhance the effects of fluoride toothpaste. But don’t use mouthwash right after brushing, as it can wash away the toothpaste.
Use mouthwash at a separate time, such as before brushing. This allows both sources of fluoride to work.
5. Consume fluoridated water
Drinking fluoridated tap water throughout the day provides a constant bath of enamel-strengthening fluoride. Drinking non-fluoridated bottled water won’t give you these helpful benefits.
The Strengthening Effects of Fluoride
Fluoride benefits your dental health in a few key ways:
- Promotes remineralization – Fluoride helps redeposit minerals like calcium into weakened areas of enamel.
- Inhibits demineralization – It prevents minerals from dissolving out of tooth surfaces.
- Destroys acid-loving bacteria – Fluoride interferes with enzymes in cariogenic oral bacteria.
- Disrupts plaque – It prevents plaque from firmly attaching to teeth.
Together, these mechanisms help strengthen tooth enamel, prevent cavities, and reduce tooth decay.
But these benefits cannot occur instantly. It takes time for the various fluoride interactions to play out after you brush.
This makes waiting 30 minutes before drinking water critically important.
The Risks of Drinking Too Soon
If you drink water too soon after brushing, here are some of the potential downsides:
- Fluoride won’t have enough time to properly absorb into enamel.
- There will be less opportunity for remineralization to occur.
- Prevented minerals may dissolve out of softened enamel.
- Bacteria may more easily attach to plaque remnants.
- Overall cavity prevention ability will be reduced.
In essence, the fluoride in toothpaste gets washed away before it can finish strengthening your tooth enamel.
This leaves your teeth more vulnerable to the acidic attacks that demineralize enamel and lead to tooth decay and dental caries.
What About Children Under Age 3?
Children under 3 years old should not use fluoride toothpaste without first consulting a dentist. Too much fluoride when teeth are still developing can cause dental fluorosis.
This condition results in permanent white spot lesions and discoloration of the teeth. It does not affect the function or health of teeth, but can be a cosmetic concern.
If children under 3 are not getting fluoride from other sources like water or supplements, a “smear” of fluoride toothpaste can be used. A smear is about the size of a grain of rice. But children this young should always be supervised when brushing.
The recommended amount of toothpaste for ages 3-6 is a pea-sized amount. Waiting 30 minutes before drinking water applies to children over 3 as well.
Conclusion
Waiting 30 minutes between brushing your teeth and drinking water gives fluoride the time it needs to strengthen and protect your tooth enamel.
Drinking too soon rinses away much of the fluoride before it can provide maximum anti-cavity benefits.
Remember to also avoid other beverages like coffee, juices and mouthwash during those 30 minutes. Getting the full benefits from fluoride toothpaste requires patience.
But it’s worth the wait, as it leads to stronger, healthier teeth that are more resistant to tooth decay and cavities over time. Taking a few minutes now to allow the fluoride to work can save you dental problems down the road.
| Age | Recommended Wait Time |
|---|---|
| 0-3 years | Do not use fluoride toothpaste without consulting dentist first |
| 3-6 years | 30 minutes |
| 6+ years | 30-60 minutes |
References
- CDC – Community Water Fluoridation
- ADA – Fluoride Treatments in the Dental Office
- Cochrane Library – Fluoride Mouthrinses for Preventing Dental Caries in Children and Adolescents
- Journal of the American Dental Association – Evidence-based Clinical Recommendations on the Prescription of Dietary Fluoride Supplements for Caries Prevention
- International Journal of Dentistry – Effect of Post-Brushing Water Rinsing on Fluoride Concentrations in Whole Saliva