When to Use Mouthwash: Before or After Brushing?
Getting your hands on the best mouthwash formula for your specific oral health needs is only step one. Knowing when to use mouthwash and actually rinsing the right way are key to unlocking all the benefits it has to offer.
So, should you use mouthwash before and after brushing? Should I use mouthwash in the morning or night? How does flossing factor in? You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. This in-depth guide will help you make the most of your daily rinse.
Step one, order the best plaque removal mouthwash online at LIVFRESH if you haven’t already. It’s powered by Activated Edathamil and only has 0.1% alcohol, so it’s genuinely enjoyable to use daily. More importantly, though, it can deliver:
- 163% better tartar control
- 114% better gum health
- 72% better plaque reduction
Backed by 40 clinical studies and 40 patents. See why thousands of dental professionals endorse LIVFRESH today, and learn when to use mouthwash below!
Key Takeaways
- Mouthwash is meant to get all the nooks and crannies your toothbrush bristles and floss can’t reach. We recommend mouthwash after brushing and flossing.
- You should wait 20 minutes or so to use your mouthwash if you used a toothpaste that has fluoride in it. You don’t want to rinse it away too soon.
- You can try rinsing before you brush if waiting isn’t an option. You’ll loosen debris/bacteria so your toothpaste makes better contact with your enamel.
- You should use mouthwash at least once a day, ideally twice a day (morning and night). Use it at night if you only rinse once.
- Consistency matters just as much as forming a good routine. You need to swish for a full 30-60 seconds, every single day.
- LIVFRESH mouthwash uses Activated Edathamil to dissolve plaque on a molecular level and prevent it from reattaching. It’s the #1 formula on the market.
Why Use Mouthwash in the First Place?
It’s crazy that most people still don’t use mouthwash. Everything changes when you realize your toothbrush only covers around 60% of your tooth surfaces. There are tons of gaps between teeth, the gumline, the back of your tongue, and the roof of your mouth.
Mouthwash reaches all of it. Rinsing for 30 seconds floods every surface in your mouth with active ingredients to kill bad bacteria, erase plaque, protect gums, and leave your mouth cleaner.
Yes, brushing and flossing do most of the heavy lifting. But they are just two steps in a three-step oral care regimen. We like to explain it this way:
- Brushing scrubs broad tooth surfaces
- Flossing clears the tight spaces
- Mouthwash gets everything those first two tools leave behind
It’s no surprise people who use a mouthwash have less plaque buildup and healthier gums. But not all mouthwashes do the same. There are rinses specifically for freshening breath, some offer whitening benefits, and the BEST mouthwashes actually clear away plaque and support gum health.
But timing matters regardless of the type you’re using. Let’s get into when to use mouthwash.
When is the Best Time to Use Mouthwash?
You’ll see conflicting answers online about when is the best time to use mouthwash. We’re going to clear it all up and leave you with a step-by-step routine you can stick to day in, day out.
Should You Use Mouthwash Before or After Brushing?
The first thing you need to know is when to use mouthwash - before or after brushing. Our stance is you should brush first, rinse after. The reasoning is pretty simple. You want as clean a slate as possible so the active ingredients in mouthwash can actually work in the areas they’re needed. If you were to rinse first, you might have food or drink residue coating your teeth, blocking the rinse from doing its thing.
You probably know this already, but what you brush with matters just as much as anything in your oral care routine. We recommend LIVFRESH toothpaste. Two formulas to choose from - one has fluoride for extra remineralizing and gum health benefits. Both are powered by Activated Edathamil, though - the same ingredient in our world-renowned mouthwash.
This is an important piece of context. What you brush with shapes when is the best time to use mouthwash. You wouldn’t want to rinse right after brushing if you used a fluoride toothpaste. The reason being, you would clear away the fluoride before it has enough time to fully integrate with your tooth surface.
This is why some people end up choosing to rinse at a separate time of day altogether. Maybe your ideal routine is morning brushing, afternoon rinsing (after your lunch), and then brushing again before bed.
What About Flossing?
Flossing always comes before brushing because it pulls away plaque and food from between your teeth. Then, your toothbrush can sweep those particles away. So the full sequence looks like this:
Floss > Brush > Rinse
The exception, of course, is if you want to use a fluoride toothpaste last. In those cases, you can adjust your routine to something like floss, then rinse, then brush - or floss, then brush, and rinse at a separate time of day.
Should I Use Mouthwash in the Morning or Night?
Part of knowing when to use mouthwash means figuring out if you’re going to do it once a day or twice a day. We think more is usually better, which might mean using your rinse in the morning AND evening.
But if you decide to just do it once a day, there are two schools of thought:
- Rinse in the evening: Your mouth naturally dries out while you sleep because it produces less saliva. A dry mouth is a breeding ground for bad bacteria and lets plaque thrive. Rinsing before bed coats your teeth in protective ingredients.
- Rinse in the afternoon: This makes sense if you use a fluoride toothpaste and don’t want to rinse away that ingredient right after brushing. You can rinse after lunch to clean your mouth.
Morning rinses do have their place, though. Especially if you have a film on your teeth when you wake up, or have extra-strong morning breath. That overnight bacterial buildup is real.
Honestly, whatever you can stick to every single day is your best bet. We’ve already said it once, and we’ll probably say it again - consistency is key!
Tips on Actually Using Mouthwash Correctly
You know when to use mouthwash for best results, but do you know HOW it’s actually supposed to be used? Here’s a quick guide to using it correctly:
- Use enough: Otherwise, you’re going to have to swish for longer (and more vigorously) to reach every surface in your mouth. We recommend 10mL of LIVFRESH (one cap full).
- Swish for 30-60 seconds: Don’t cheat yourself. Use a timer if you have to. Anything less and the active ingredient (in our case, Activated Edathamil) isn’t getting enough time to do its thing.
- Don’t eat or drink for 20-30 minutes: Anything you consume too soon will wash away the ingredients that are still left behind in your mouth working their magic.
- Spit it all out: Do not swallow any mouthwash. This could really irritate your stomach.
Oh, and another thing. Braces are a special case. The best mouthwash for braces needs to reach around brackets, wires, and bands where food gets trapped after every meal.
What Makes LIVFRESH the #1 Mouthwash on the Market?
Most big brands on the market (Listerine vs Crest Mouthwash, for example) just kill bacteria on contact and freshen your breath for a few hours. But they don’t do much to actually loosen the bonds plaque has formed on your teeth - or prevent it from coming back.
That’s what makes LIVFRESH different. It uses an ingredient backed by 40 patents and 40 studies - Activated Edathamil. It breaks the molecular bond plaque has on your enamel, literally dissolving it so that it can easily be rinsed away. It leaves behind a negative surface charge on the tooth so new plaque can’t attach.
Clinical studies showed it helped stop bleeding gums in as few as four weeks. It delivered 163% better tartar control, 114% better gum health, and 72% better plaque reduction. All with just 0.1% alcohol. So you don’t get that painful/uncomfortable burn.
LIVFRESH is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free today.
More Ways to Enhance Your Oral Care Routine
It’s important, but mouthwash is just one piece of your oral care ritual. There are so many other things you can do to earn more praise from your dental hygienist at each visit (and spend less on dentist bills in the long run).
You could probably benefit from replacing your toothbrush more often than you currently do. Every 3 months is the bare minimum, or sooner if your bristles are fraying. Make sure you’re using a toothpaste that actually has clinical studies behind it, too, like LIVFRESH.
Add a tongue scraper to your morning routine as well. Most bad breath in the morning can be chalked up to bacteria living on the back of your tongue. This can be done alongside your morning rinse.
Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day, too. We mentioned this earlier, but saliva is your mouth’s defense against bacteria. A dehydrated oral environment is the perfect place for bad bacteria to thrive. And, make sure you get to the dentist at least once a year, ideally twice.
Final Words on When to Use Mouthwash
There you have it, when to use mouthwash for the best results. So many people treat mouthwash vs toothpaste as an either-or decision, but they handle completely different jobs - and knowing the right order is key to letting them both serve their purpose.
So, when is the best time to use mouthwash? Whenever you’ll stick to it, honestly! That might mean after brushing, in the middle of the day, or multiple times a day. The toothpaste you use will shape the decision to some extent.
All that’s left to do now is set yourself up for success with the #1 Listerine and TheraBreath Alternative - LIVFRESH. See what keeps people coming back for more today!
Frequently asked questions
Are you supposed to use mouthwash before or after brushing?
After, unless your toothpaste has fluoride. In that case, you can rinse before brushing or give a 20-minute buffer after brushing. Or, rinse in the middle of the day instead.
Can mouthwash rinse away the fluoride from your toothpaste?
Yes, so be careful about rinsing too close to the time you brushed your teeth. Give it at least 20 minutes, or space your rinse out separately.
How long am I supposed to rinse for?
At least 30-60 seconds.
How long after using mouthwash can I eat again?
Usually 30 minutes or so.
How does alcohol-free mouthwash compare?
We think the alcohol vs non-alcohol mouthwash debate makes you choose between two extremes, neither of which is ideal. Low alcohol (like LIVFRESH - 0.1%) is the way to go.
