NEW: STUDY REVEALS LISTERINE® ANTISEPTIC 4.6X MORE EFFECTIVE THAN FLOSS FOR SUSTAINED PLAQUE REDUCTION. For all patients—including those who don't floss well or don't floss at all— LISTERINE® Antiseptic mouthwash can help achieve better oral health by reducing plaque on teeth.
What are your needs? If you have cavities or are at a high risk of contracting gum diseases, your dentist may recommend an antibacterial mouthwash. Mouth rinses with fluoride can also help ward off tooth decay.
Water flossing will remove more plaque than flossing, making it more effective. The most effective way to clean between teeth and along the gums is whichever method you use regularly and properly. You should add either string flossing, water flossing, or both to brushing as a nightly dental routine.
Used in moderation, it can help improve oral health without causing any harm. It is generally not recommended by dentists to use mouthwash every day or even at all for the matter. Most dentists will recommend that you brush your teeth and floss on a daily basis but not many will tell you that you need to use mouthwash.
Avoid Scope, Listerine and the other commercial mouthwashes. They're acidic, contain potentially cancer-causing chemicals, and are just plain bad for you. Simpler, gentler, homemade rinses and those from CariFree, however, can soothe your mouth and balance your pH, among other benefits.
The study cautions against the “indiscriminate routine use” of antibacterial mouthwash, with the highest risk among people who use it twice or more daily. “Although the study suggests limiting your use of mouthwash, it does not indicate you should stop using it altogether,” said Dr. Woloski.
Using mouthwash several times a day for a long period of time may cause more harm than good, especially if you're using an alcohol-based brand. Alcohol can irritate the soft tissues of the mouth and may also cause dry mouth.
One of the top causes of inside cheek peeling is “SLS” or sodium lauryl sulfate. SLS is a common ingredient in a lot of toothpaste blends because of the way it helps hold all of the other ingredients together. SLS also causes a foaming action, which makes some toothpastes a bit more bubbly and foamy than others.
The faster medical help is given, the better the chance for recovery. Drinking large amounts of mouthwash may cause symptoms similar to drinking large amounts of alcohol (drunkenness). Swallowing large amounts of methyl salicylate and hydrogen peroxide may also cause serious stomach and intestine symptoms.
Interdental Brushes: Like tiny toothbrushes, specially designed to clean between your teeth, these brushes are a great alternative to flossing. Interdental brushes are usually easier to use than a thread of floss, are just as effective as floss, and are probably your best option if you have braces.
Excessive plaque buildup can take a while, and a cavity will not appear after one missed brushing and flossing session. But that doesn't mean you should go ahead and skip a day when you don't feel like taking care of your teeth, as neglecting your routine can lead to oral health diseases and future issues.
Brush, brush, brush
Regular toothbrushing remains the most effective way to care for your teeth and gums. Not only does it remove much of the plaque that causes gum disease, but the fluoride in toothpaste helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening the teeth.
Should you use mouthwash before bed? You certainly can, but use it half an hour after you brush so your toothpaste fluoride has time to work first. That way, the mouthwash adds to the protection. Otherwise, using the mouthwash right after you brush simply washes away the toothpaste fluoride.
While mouthwash goes a long way in improving your oral care, it is not a substitute for flossing. Mouthwashes and flossing provide different benefits that you should understand.
LISTERINE® Antiseptic kills 99.9% of germs that cause bad breath, plaque and gingivitis.
"Basically what happens is the product is killing bacteria that causes bad breath and in some individuals that bacteria as it's killed it can also turn brown and then stick to the teeth,” P&G spokesperson Victoria Maybee told CTV's Lynda Steele in a telephone interview.
Mouthwash is generally meant to be swished around in the mouth for 30 to 60 seconds. Make sure you follow the directions on your specific bottle. Swishing for less than 30 seconds isn't usually enough time for the mouthwash to be effective while swishing for longer than a minute won't give you any additional benefits.
Some ingredients in toothpastes are too harsh for many mouths, and can actually burn the outer tissue of the oral cavity. This burned, dead tissue then forms into the globs and film of white discharge you find in your mouth anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour after brushing.
To help ensure your whole mouth gets clean, properly use a LISTERINE® Mouthwash twice daily.
It is not recommended to rinse your mouth with water after you have just used mouthwash. This is because many mouthwashes contain ingredients such as fluoride that need time to start working. If you rinse your mouth out straight after, the fluoride will also be washed away during the rinsing.
The short answer is no. Cleaning all sides of your teeth, including between your teeth where the toothbrush can't reach, is a good thing. Although long-term, large-scale studies of flossing are somewhat limited, researchers have found modest benefits from flossing in small, short-term studies.
Which mouthwash is safer for your teeth? Alcohol-free mouthwash is considered to be safer for your teeth because you do not have to worry about your enamel being weakened by the alcohol in your mouthwash or your gums burning while you rinse.