Mouthwash - Is It Worth It?

Mouthwashes play an enormous role in the everyday oral hygiene regime. They can help clear out bad breath and improve your oral health. Using mouthwash daily flushes out fine debris that stays even after brushing and flossing, thus, prevent decay and disease from teeth and gums.

What are the advantages of mouthwash?

Mouthwashes have a number of advantages, such as:

• Kill bad bacteria and offer fresh breath
• Cleans roof of your mouth
• Get clean tongue
• Get rid of bacteria in your inner cheeks

Mouthwash containing fluoride provides teeth additional protection to fight against cavities by getting into the small spaces your brush cannot reach.

What happens with the overuse of mouthwash?

Alcohol is one of the essential ingredients used in mouthwash. It helps in killing bad bacteria in the mouth, but overusing it can harm your gums, inner cheeks, and tongue. Alcohol has a drying property that absorbs the moisture and makes your mouth dry, leading to cracks, swellings, and feelings of discomfort. Overusing mouthwash containing fluoride may also result in serious health issues.

Some mouthwashes use another type of chloride rather than alcohol. But even overuse of these chemicals may stain your teeth which you can get rid of only through professional cleaning.

How often do you have to use mouthwash?

Dentists usually recommend using mouthwash after brushing teeth. If you use it more than two times each day, it may cause more harm to your teeth than good. Make sure you never swallow mouthwash.

What do you have to check out while buying a mouthwash?

While buying a mouthwash, check out the following:

• Check the label and choose a mouthwash that kills bacteria because there could be products that offer fresh breath and do nothing to kill bacteria to protect your teeth.
• You can also choose an alcohol-free mouthwash if you don't want to use a mouthwash containing alcohol.
• Make sure you select a mouthwash with fluoride, as it offers more benefits to your teeth. However, choose a mouthwash containing fluoride for your children.
• If you find teeth whitening mouthwash then, you should also check the label to look into the active ingredients. If it doesn't have antibacterial property, it would be better not to go for it. 
• Look for ADA seal in the label of the mouthwash. Choose those with ADA seal of approval as those products would meet proper dental care standards.

To know more, call us at (541) 757-1829 or visit us at our office to schedule an appointment with our dentist.