Brushing teeth and not spitting out toot paste

[Mamabear12]

I am just wondering when do kids start to rinse mouth and spit out the tooth paste? I guess I should probably start getting my daughter to do that now, as she is 2.5 years old! Currently, we just smear a little tooth past on tooth brush (just a small scraping) and brush her teeth and leave it on. But I am worried that maybe I should not be doing this...as she should be old enough to spit now! When did your kids start rinsing and spitting out after brushing?

You're not supposed to rinse your mouth after brushing as it gets rid of the fluoride. Spitting out excess toothpaste is okay though.

If you're only putting a tiny bit of toothpaste on the brush then there's no need to get your dd to spot the excess out. My eldest is nearly 7 and still doesn't need to as I only put a small amount of toothpaste on the brush.

Agree with crazy, you do not rinse!

Came as a very pleasant surprise that my slovenly cheapskate ways with mouthwash were actually a protective factor!

Double check the fluoride levels on the toothpaste though, if your water is non-floridated then you need more in the toothpaste.

How about dribble and gentle tongue scrape into a flannel?

I give my DD a drink of water after teeth-brushing just to rinse it away,

You shouldn't rinse, the toothpaste is supposed to stay on to protect their teeth.

I don't know how to teach the spitting of excess bubbles though! I'm assuming they'll work it out from watching us eventually...

Ah okay. That makes me feel so much better! Now a silly question...you say you are not supposed to rinse mouth after brushing...does that go for us as well??? I have always brushed and rinsed with water after. I have pretty good teeth..only two cavities my whole life (okay, I'm only 32...but only got my first cavities at 30!)

Yup, no rinsing for anyone. My teeth have been healthier since I stopped.

I believe you can use mouthwash but you should do it a certain amount of time after brushing - any dentists around?

Flossing is important for gum health.

The dentists do recommend that you don't rinse, but I do anyway. My teeth are fine and so are my gums. I don't use flouride toothpaste either! I floss, though. I have read too much about flouride being great for teeth, but not so good for the rest of you.

My dentist recommends that I don't rinse as I use a a toothpaste for sensitive teeth and it is better to leave it in. I don't use a lot though so I am not foaming at the mouth or anything!

Yup, no rinsing and my dentist advises switching to adult toothpaste as soon as kids can spit, use as much adult toothpaste as you can but don't rinse or swallow it. Fluoride is excellent on teeth but not so good ingested.

ds is 4.2 and just starting to learn to spit from copying me. He has seen me absent mindedly rinsing so he is allowed to rinse lips ie dab water on face. So I advise you to train yourself out of the rinse!

No rinsing for adults! gosh never heard that. My mouth feels dry after tooth brushing even if I rinse... can't imagine how dry it would feel if I didn't rinse.

Fluoride is excellent on teeth but not so good ingested. If you don't rinse then surely you will inevitably swallow the toothpaste residue? There is nowhere else for it to go?

No, if you spit really well, you'll hardly ingest anything. When you get a fluoride treatment at your check up, you don't rinse do you?