Mouth wash - to rinse or not to rinse?

[30yearoldbraceface]

I have been using listerine total care mouth wash for the duration of my braces journey so far. I have been swishing the mouth wash in my mouth, spitting it out and then I rinse the remaining mouth wash out with water - now recently I have begun wondering if I am doing things correctly? Or by washing the remaining listerine out my mouth, am I defeating the whole purpose of mouth wash? Any body know? I have tried googling, but get conflicting answers on different websites what do you guys do??

[cdngrl71]

I was told to use the Listerine total care right before bed and not to have anything to drink after. So I am thinking you probably should not rinse with water after?

[ItsFreyja]

Just checked; the Listerine website does not recommend rinsing with water after use. I think the idea is for a residual amount of the germ-killing ingredients and fluoride to remain on your teeth and keep working. If you feel like you need to rinse the sharp flavor away, maybe try Listerine Zero?

[30yearoldbraceface]

thank you both for your feedback I also checked the listerine website, but couldn't find any info specifically saying to rinse or not to rinse with water afterwards hehe - always best to find out what other people do

[sirwired]

As a fluoride rinse, you should not rinse afterwards.

[30yearoldbraceface]

thanks for your feedback sirwired!

[EWUgal15]

I've always been told not to rinse or eat/drink anything for 30 minutes after using mouthwash. I was also told by my orthodontist to use Prevident twice a day and to not rinse that off my teeth after brushing. So when I use that, I typically rinse with the mouthwash before. I know using mouthwash before brusing seems weird, but I talked to my dentist about my cleaning routine and she signed off that it was ok. And I must be doing something right because I'm cavity free and have healthy gum tissue.