Julie here again...As Tom said, if you just put 3 drops of Miracle-Mineral-Supplement in 500 ml of water and rinse with it UNACTIVATED (as we do), for about one minute, the acids in your mouth do activate it...you can actually get a hint of that distinctive taste/odor after the minute is up, so you know it's been activated. This much milder method is gentler on your teeth, but still gets the job done.