Water, Water... Doesn't Have To Be Everywhere? The Pros And Cons Of Wetting Your Toothbrush

If you wet your toothbrush before brushing your teeth, you're obviously not alone. But why do you wet it? Is it really necessary? Turns out, it's not completely necessary, and it may even be pointless depending on what toothbrush you use. Still, there can be advantages to adding a little water to the mix. Here's a look at why you might want to turn off the tap -- or not.

Baking Soda Paste

If you use a tooth powder instead of a paste, you need to wet the toothbrush. Whether the powder is store-bought or is a homemade concoction with baking soda, wetting the toothbrush will turn the powder into a paste, allowing it to stick to your teeth (not to mention allowing the powder to stick to the brush in the first place). The paste will also be less traumatic and grating to your teeth and gums than straight powder.

Toothpaste Caking

You might see more toothpaste caking at the base of the bristles if you don't wet the brush first, but this isn't always the case. Plus, you can remove the caked paste by holding the brush under a steady stream of water, moving the bristles with your fingertip, and occasionally giving the brush a strong shake.

Dry, Pasty Paste

If you use toothpaste and not powder, wetting the brush will make the paste a little more moist. This, though, is a preference issue. Brushing with an unwetted brush and your typical toothpaste can make the paste seem a bit thicker, much like washing your hands with soap and a little water can result in the lather feeling more like a coat of lotion. But the paste will be effective either way. Most people also produce enough saliva to get the toothbrush wet relatively quickly. Unless you have a medical condition that limits saliva production, what you produce should be enough to soften up the toothpaste.

Wasted Water

Assuming the caking and pastiness aren't issues for you, wetting the toothbrush will simply waste water. If there's no other reason why you've been wetting the brush other than people have told you to, try not wetting the brush. If you feel fine with how brushing your teeth goes after that, save the water.

Bristle Softness

One excuse given for wetting the brush is that it supposedly softens the bristles so that you don't hurt your gums. If that's the case with you, get a brush with softer bristles. You should be using a soft brush to begin with, anyway, and water isn't really going to help that much if you're using harder bristles. If this is the only reason you've been wetting the brush, stop using the water and just get new brushes.

If you want more tips on how to brush your teeth, talk to your dentist today. There's no judgment -- not everyone knows everything about brushing teeth, even though it seems like a simple task. A dentist like Robert J Bauder DMD will be able to show you exactly what to do to get the cleanest teeth in town.