Credits: Social Media
Dentist settles debate on temperature water should be when brushing your teeth
Brushing your teeth is a quintessential part of any daily routine but a surprising debate has sparked up on whether people should brush their gnashers with cold or warm water.
Regardless of which side of the divide you sit on, its quite a shock to hear that not everyone brushes their teeth in the same way youve been all your life. Despite this seeming like a fairly benign topic, its one that has divided social media and has prompted dentists to weigh in and even a scientific study has been carried out to settle the matter once and for all.
Cold vs warm water when brushing your teeth
The debate on whether you use warm or cold water when brushing your teeth has been a surprisingly fervent one online and there are TikTok videos and Reddit threads that delve into this very topic. Even a poll among writers here at The Focus featured a split of differing views.
Its safe to say that people have been well and truly shocked to find that either people wet their toothbrushes with cold water or similarly, they believe that wetting their brushes with warm water is monstrously weird.
Back in November, a TikToker named Justin, known by username @high.center.of.gravity, posted a video revealing his disbelief at discovering his sister-in-law used warm water while hes spent his whole life on Team Cold Water.
The video quickly went viral, earning over 2.1 million views and sparking plenty of debate in the comments.
- FACT OR FICTION: Study reveals whether an apple a day really keeps the doctor away
Social media reacts
Commenting on the aforementioned video, one TikTok user said: If I accidentally put warm water on my toothbrush, I could actually cry.
While a second added: My husband does this and I hate it. It doesn’t feel as refreshing to me as cold water.
A third member of the cold water team wrote: I thought everyone used cold too =- like cold water is my default.
However, this commenter was shocked to hear people use cold water: What? There are people that brush with cold water?
While another said: I always use warm water, I have sensitive teeth.
Warm for sure, wrote another. Softens the bristles.
Dentist settles the warm vs cold water debate
In response to the surprisingly divisive debate, dentists at Family Tree Dental located near the Ohio-West Virginia border posted on their practices website to settle the matter.
For the most part, the temperature of water you are brushing your teeth with does not matter too much, they said. Most dentists will tell you to use whichever temperature your teeth are most comfortable with.
It is more important to brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time, rather than worrying about whether the water is hot or cold, they added.
The dental team also explained that people who have particularly sensitive teeth may benefit from brushing their teeth with warm water. This is because the warmth of the water can help to soothe any soreness or pain in the teeth, while also providing an effective clean.
On the other hand, people who have a lot of plaque buildup on their teeth may find brushing with cold water more beneficial, they added. Cold water can help to harden plaque, making it easier to remove during brushing.
Even scientific studies have been carried out on the topic. A study published in 2009 by the National Library of Medicine found that warm or cold water may be used during toothbrushing without any additional damage to the patients’ dental hard tissues as no significant difference was found between the two groups.
In other words, you do you – as long as you remember to brush your teeth twice a day.
