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Fluoride can be absorbed into the teeth and form fluoroapatite only in children up to 6-8 years of age (WebMD).
Later, fluoride from toothpaste may still be helpful, because it stimulates the incorporation of calcium and phosphorus into the enamel that has been demineralized (PubMed Central, 2006). So, fluoride stimulates remineralization and thus slows ...
7
The previous answer does not refer to clinical studies so I thought I would have a look.
TLDR; the clinical studies I've seen suggest not to rinse with water after brushing.
According to Doméjean, et al. (2018), you should not rinse after brushing.
For maximizing the topical effect of the fluoride toothpaste, patients should be encouraged to spit out ...
4
The main protective effect of fluoride is outside the tooth, not inside.
Small amounts of fluoride in solution around the tooth inhibit
demineralization more effectively than incorporated fluoride and have
a much greater caries-protective potential than a large proportion of
fluorapatite in enamel mineral. Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed 122:
1030–...
4
As the saying goes, anything is a poison, it's the dose that matters. Short summary, the new 2015 US PHS standard (0.7 mg/L) or even the old one (0.7-1.2 mg/L) are below the doses at which negative effects were observed in China (2.5-4.1 mg/L), and the evidence from there is not of high quality, even though there's one meta-analysis of it. (As a cautionary ...
3
There are over 300 studies have found that fluoride is a neurotoxin (a chemical that can damage the brain).
According to EPA scientists (United States Environmental Protection Agency), there is substantial evidence that fluoride is neurotoxin2009. They based their conclusion on studies showing that fluoride exposure during pregnancy can damage the brain ...
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If all the rest is the same, your risk of caries would increase by 25% Source: Cochrane Syst Review.
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This is usually seen in clinical settings: a child is left with an untreated enamel caries. Then the lesion progress and the lesion is cavitated. The dentin then start to react, ocludding the dentinal tubules. When the saliva (+ minerals) reach the dentin, the caries process start to slow down and the dentin change from dark brown to almost black. At the ...
2
Summary:
Not rinsing after tooth brushing may somewhat increase the effectiveness of fluoridated toothpaste, but the evidence is inconsistent and the effect can vary greatly among individuals.
One possible explanation for inconsistent effect: not rinsing after brushing appears to be only beneficial if you are at a high risk of getting cavities.
Researchers ...
1
I found this medical/scientific article that reviews 3 different saliva pH testing kits including a litmus paper test.
Litmus paper strips are apparently ubiquitous and many such products available at Walmart, for example.
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