Education Is mouthwash worth it?

Just wondering whether it's a layer of rubbish they sell to make some money out of you? If you get the right one, can it help with whiteness and long term oral health?

 

I read somewhere (and I'll try and find it in the meantime) that the common ones in use kill all the nice bacteria and should only be used in rare circumstances.

Edit: it was either this article or a very similar one.

 

As I recall, normal non-medicated mouth wash is just a basic antibacterial rinse. It doesn't do all that much and won't really help if you're teeth and mouth aren't already clean. That said it doesn't do any harm and does seem to help with hygiene and breath, albeit in quite a minor way. I think I heard/read a study that they all do basically the same job irrespective of price/brand/claims so I just buy cheap stuff. Sainsburys own brand is about 65p a bottle and tastes fine.

 

You know what's best for your teeth (as well as brushing).

Flossing.

I hated flossing until my dentist recommended Plackers.

http://plackers.com/

I also use mouthwash from time to time. I buy Listerine when it's on offer.

You can buy a huge pack of Plackers on Amazon and they'll last you ages.

 

My dentist told me not to bother with mouthwash, it's something I've never really used though.

 

Mouthwash definitely works

 

Source? You can't just come here making bold claims of things working without charts, evidence and a 56 page white paper

 

I think you will find that a mouth wash is a nuke all solution rather than just killing the bad boys. I think a decent electric tooth brush is the best thing for healthy teeth and gums.

 

You are probably better off with a tongue scraper and a full flossing once or twice a day. I also have an over priced electric toothbrush with Bluetooth. It tells me what quadrant of my mouth to brush and for how long. It was recommended to me by my hygienis. I though it was a gimmick but it's a good way to maintain a consistent brushing routine.

In other words I don't recall ever being recommend a mouth wash except as a temporary measure (use it for a week then stop) and you are probably better of with a good brush and floss regime.

 

My son was advised to use a proper mouth wash with fluoride while he had his braces and after having them removed to keep the enamel tough.

 

As someone who suffers from a very nasty case of gum disease. Defo use mouth wash and floss on a regular basis. I skipped my nightly routine for 6 months due long work hours and really wish i had not. Now even eating soft fruits make me gums bleed and if i take a hit to my gob i am fairly certsin most my teeth will fall out.

Wont happen to every one but best to take caution. According to my dentist im one of the lucky ones

 

Fun fact - Listerine was originally marketed and sold as a household cleaner before the 1920s. Joseph Lister's work discovered that the use of carbolic acid on incisions and equipment can decrease post-surgery infections. Listerine the product was sold for use from everything to hospital antiseptic to floor cleaner. They coined or rather made up the term halitosis to sell it to the masses as mouthwash. Yes - you wash your mouth with what is basically floor cleaner. No one ever thought their breath smelled before, but Listerine told people their breath stank and they needed mouthwash. The marketing works and Listerine is the world's biggest seller of Mouthwash.

Mouthwash doesn't actually help, your toothpaste does the job just fine. It's a placebo effect to be honest. In fact, many dentists recommend against using mouthwash as it can wash away the beneficial properties of the toothpaste you just brushed your teeth with.

I haven't used Mouthwash since I was 16 and my gums and teeth have never suffered for not using it. Never had teeth out and I had one filling when I was 8 (too many sweets =p).

 

I use a Philips Sonicare toothbrush and never use mouthwash. My dentist has never recommended I need to do anything else.

 

I'd second what Mr H said, brush in the morning after breakfast don't rinse with water or MW, use mouthwash after launch if you can, and finally brush about an hour before bed and MW very last thing, MW before sleep is more important as when sleeping you produce less saliva giving the bad bacteria a chance to multiply.

Personally i wouldn't use floss as it can drive particles into the gum line, an interdental brush dipped in MW is much better IMO but that's just my personal opinion.

EDIT: Forgot to answer OP's question , it won't help whiteness as most of the things you can buy and use at home aren't powerful enough for that, whitening is something best left to the professionals.

Yes it helps with long term oral health, mainly because it helps remove small particles between the teeth and gums, and also because it contains fluoride that helps to reduce caries (tooth decay), there's also more specialised MW intended to help with gingivitis but unless it's specifically formulated for daily use that's something that should only be used under advise from your dentist.

 

I always keep a bottle of Corsodyl mouthwash in the bathroom in case of things like ulcers (which I've always been prone to) but that's about the only time that it gets used.

Just drink more spirits, the alcohol in those will do much the same job as ordinary mouthwashes...

 

You want these babies with TWO strings.



It works WAY better because it actually traps the crap you dig out between the two. I swear by them.

 

That's my philosophy. Glass (or 5) of whiskey a day, keeps longevity away.

I found that brushing too often actually made my teeth hurt, so I generally brush every 2-4 days and just rigorously rinse with water every day. I've cut most sugar heavy stuff from my diet (at least until a Saccharomyces strain is done with it) and haven't needed to visit the barbarian's office in 5 years.

 

Personally; Mouthwash is a lifesaver. I use it infrequently for clearing areas where I just can't get a floss (Or one of those flossing sticks) But it works a treat for it, and it's currently getting rid of the worse of the ache (And taste, ew)from my Abcess and related awful infection.

 

They're probably in shock. J/K