How to get DP to stop rinsing after brushing teeth?!

[NewYearNewUserNameForMe]

I know I have no jurisdiction over DP's face, mouth and oral hygiene habits

But DP rinses out his mouth a lot after brushing his teeth every time. Twice a day, copious amounts of water. A few years ago, the dentist told me and DP that rinsing wasn't good at all. I stopped. DP just carried on.

His teeth are going yellow and they've got weird brown lines on them. I've no idea if its connected to rinsing but surely rinsing isn't helping things?

I tell him occasionally he shouldn't rinse but he either bats my comment away because I'm not a dentist (fair play), tells me to stop policing him (dramatic but fair play), or comes up with some excuse as to why he has to rinse that particular time (bullshit because he does it every bloody time).

So I went for the kill. One day when he complained that his teeth were yellow I said it was because he rinses after brushing. He had a huff, carried on rinsing and said he didn't actually care about how he looks anyway.

I may be blowing it out of proportion but I really worry about this and what it'll mean for his dental health long term.

I've no idea why I'm posting this, it's playing on my mind.

My dentist told me 'Spit, don't rinse', back in the 80s.

Interesting. I learned something new today. Perhaps I didn’t know about not finding as I grew up in a country with flouride in the water.

I'm wondering if this is why I never heard it either. In Ireland we have fluoride in our water, is that not the case in the UK?

My dentist said no to rinsing.it washes away the fluoride so the toothpaste doesn't work.

He said spit out but dont rinse mouth out with water

No added fluoride in scottish water

Interesting. I learned something new today. Perhaps I didn’t know about not finding as I grew up in a country with flouride in the water
Me too. I always rinse I make DC rinse. Is it okay if there is fluoride in the water.

I'm 57, I always rinse, I have great teeth. Our water is supplied by Severn Trent and has fluoride added to it (I just checked the map). I drink quite a lot of tap water and too much fluoride can cause a wide variety of health problems. Check your water quality before encouraging anyone to ingest more fluoride. Water will not stain your teeth, but tea, coffee, red wine, smoking etc. will.

No you shouldn't rinse it washes the fluoride off.
Our area has fluoride in the water but a very very little amount.

Been rinsing all my life and no fillings. I always was told too much fluoride is bad for you.

It's a bit overbearing being so insistent like that. He doesn't tell you how to shave your legs.

@WhatWouldChristineCagneyDo -
this is what you want

You learn something new every day. 38, no fillings, never been to not to rinse.

Try a whitening toothpaste?

Ex dentist... weird that you all have so much food in your teeth, what do you do at lunchtimes? You do know that spitting will allow you to spit all of the imaginary "crud" out, the residual effect is similar to getting fluoride applied at the dentist.

MN is always full of absolute apologists for the most preventable modern disease that is tooth decay. It's never an MNers fault. Ever. Does my head in.

Mrsmorton I'm not prepared to sacrifice my health for my teeth. I'm just not prepared to leave residue of chemically-formulated toothpaste in my mouth to be swallowed when I can reduce it by rinsing. I have no fillings and very strong teeth and gums at 40. If I do get a feeling as I age, I'll live with that.

It's the same reaction I have when dentists tell us to eat aspartame instead of sugar. I'm just not going to risk cancers to avoid having a tooth pulled.

*If I do get a filling, not feeling

Just spit the residue out.

@DrinkSangriaInThePark, by all means make your own decisions but current scientific evidence does not support a link between aspartame and cancer.

Are those water flossers any good as I hate flossing with tape?

I like the wee interdental brushes you get. I buy the cheap ones rather than branded ones

I had one, it was ok. A bit noisy and not great after a while as I’m in a hard water area.

What about interdental brushes? I like the Wisdom(?) wire free rubber ones but there are bristly types too.

Oh I didn't think about the hard water thing, that could be a problem then.

Will look into interdental brushes

Okay, after reading this thread, last night and this morning I spit out the toothpaste / saliva without adding any water. Both times I then ended up with it all still attached to my mouth (you know, like melted cheese stretches out when you pick up a slice of pizza).
Of course you need to swill your mouth, unless I have some strange sort mouth or odd saliva.

@BackforGood the issue there is you have a sensitivity to Sodium Laureth Sulphate in the toothpaste. The sloughing off of the membranes in the mouth is a known issue with SLS. A lot of Sensodyne toothpastes don’t have SLS in.

My bad teeth are all my fault.
Or maybe 5% the fault of the health gurus (1970s) who said it was great to drink lots of apple cider vinegar, maybe.

Thing is, I hate toothpaste. It's disgusting, makes me gag. Most toothpaste is too spicy for me, so painful in the mouth. But even the mild toothpastes make me nauseious. Watching someone brush makes me want to heave. Not rinsing is a form of torture. I'm trying to get used to it.... but tough.