What’s The Best Mouthwash For Me?

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For anyone with a good oral hygiene routine, mouthwash can be used to help keep your teeth and gums healthy. Including a rinse in combination with proper brushing and flossing can improve your oral health significantly because as a liquid, it can reach places in your mouth that toothpaste simply can’t.

However, mouthwashes alone are not a substitute for proper tooth-brushing. If you think using a rinse is a short-cut to healthy teeth and gums, think again!

Fluoride mouthwashes are excellent at preventing tooth decay. Antiseptic rinses reduce bacteria that cause gum disease and also decay. Some mouthwash products are capable of doing both jobs. There are also specialized rinses on the market that are the best mouthwash for specific tasks such as helping people with braces or tooth sensitivity.

Contents

Types of Mouthwash Available

Typical mouthwashes on the market are from the following five categories:

  1. Cosmetic mouthwash is usually used to freshen your breath or to mask odors; however, this type of mouthwash rarely offers the protection that you need to keep your teeth clean and healthy.
  2. Fluoride mouthwashes will have sodium fluoride in them, which works to strengthen and protect your teeth. You should not use this type of mouthwash without first consulting your dentist because fluoride may be used in both your tap water and toothpaste, and you may already get all the fluoride you need.
  3. Antibacterial mouthwashes are ideal for people who have a mouth infection caused by bacteria. This mouthwash prevents the growth of harmful bacteria, and it can also help freshen your breath.
  4. Natural mouthwashes work similarly to Cosmetic mouthwashes and have no added chemicals, fluoride or alcohol. These can be purchased at the store or made at home. Some people find that gargling salt and warm water is an effective treatment for a mouth infection.
  5. Total care mouthwashes work to keep your entire mouth healthy by helping to reduce plaque and keep your gums clean. They are a good part of a daily oral hygiene routine, but they are not a substitute for regular flossing and brushing.

What Is The Best Mouthwash For Me?

1. Gingivitis

If you suffer from gingivitis or other gum diseases, you should consider using a drop of mouthwash that is designed to provide relief from these diseases. You will usually want an antibacterial mouthwash for mouth diseases, and these mouthwashes will often employ the use of chlorhexidine or hexetidine. If you suffer from gingivitis or gum disease, it’s worth talking to your dentist as they can provide a prescription-strength mouthwash to help achieve healthy teeth and gums.

2. Stained Teeth

Some mouthwashes are designed to help you whiten your teeth. Most whitening mouthwashes contain a type of bleaching agent such as hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most commonly used bleaching agents both at home and by dentists and other professionals. The benefit of this kind of mouthwash is that it can whiten the inside of your teeth rather than only superficially. If you combine a whitening mouthwash with the use of a whitening toothpaste, you will find that you have better results.

3. Braces

When you have braces, you will almost definitely experience plaque forming around the brackets. Cleaning your teeth when you have braces can be tricky, but it is very important because the combination of the high risk of build up and the difficulty in removing it means that you risk tooth decay. In addition to both brushing and flossing your teeth, you should choose mouthwash to have the best oral routine. The best mouthwash for braces will usually include fluoride.

4. Anti-bacterial

Anti-bacterial mouthwash can be purchased over-the-counter, and they work to remove a lot of the bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria often result in tooth decay and gum disease if they are allowed to build up. Antibacterial rinses are ideal for people who have mouth diseases. However, it is accepted that they aren’t necessary for those who just want to maintain their healthy mouth. Talk to your dentist if you have been diagnosed with any mouth diseases, and they can recommend the best anti-bacterial mouthwash for you.

How To Use Mouthwash

  1. Brush your teeth and floss thoroughly before you use mouthwash
  2. Fill up the measuring cup with the recommended amount of mouthwash
  3. Keep the mouthwash in your mouth for at least 30 seconds, swishing it around and gargling it so that it can reach your entire mouth
  4. After 30 seconds, spit the mouthwash into the sink and rinse your mouth with water
  5. Do not eat or drink for half an hour after using mouthwash, especially if you are using a fluoride mouthwash

Does Mouthwash Remove Plaque?

The honest answer is both yes and no. It depends on what type of mouthwash you decide to buy. Most cosmetic mouthwashes that only freshen your breath will do little in the way of removing plaque and bacteria from your mouth. Other mouthwashes have other benefits that will include killing bacteria, freshening breath, whitening, or strengthening enamel. Many of these will also suffice for removing some plaque from your teeth.

However, mouthwash is not the sole replacement for brushing or flossing your teeth. Plaque continuously builds up on your teeth, and this means that you should take active steps in removing it. You should brush your teeth at least twice a day and combine this with flossing and gargle mouthwash.

Mouthwash is a great addition to your dental hygiene routine, helping your entire mouth stay healthy.

Buying a Mouthwash Dispenser

Just like any of our everyday routines, whether it’s fitness or diet or oral health – we’re all inclined to make something habit if we have the right tools to make it a simple hassle free part of our lives. Learning how to brush your teeth will make a big difference to your overall oral health. So just like any other oral health product, it’s equally important to use your mouthwash correctly. Mouthwash is very effective for removing germs, but it also uses many chemical ingredients like alcohol which can irritate your gums and tongue of not used properly.

So just like any other oral health product, it’s equally important to use your mouthwash correctly. Mouthwash is very effective for removing germs, but it also uses many chemical ingredients like alcohol which can irritate your gums and tongue of not used correctly.

Daily practice helps to remove plaque and food particles from in between you teeth and keep them clean and healthy. Learning how to floss correctly can help prevent you from damaging gums and delicate tissue inside your mouth.

To make sure you’re using the correct amount of rinse, consider buying a mouthwash dispenser. A mouthwash dispenser will help to pour the correct amount of mouthwash. Using a mouthwash dispenser will help save you money in the long term by preventing wastage. The best mouthwash dispensers are approx $70, so they’re relatively low cost and pay for themselves after 6-12 months.

Summary

As you can see, getting the ideal rinse for your mouth depends on your dental health needs:

  • Struggling with bad breath – Breathrx is the best choice, but also realize attempting to mask bad breath isn’t recommended. Always seek the assistance of a Dentist to correctly diagnose the cause of Halitosis
  • Trying to avoid cavities – buy any fluoride formula rinse
  • Keeping gum disease at bay – try Chlorhexidine, Listerine or a hydrogen peroxide formula product
  • Treating dry mouth – Biotene is worth a try.

Using an oral rinse daily is recommended by Dentists as part of your oral hygiene routine. Rinsing your mouth after brushing has many benefits, and essential for maintaining good oral health. However, even the best mouthwash is not a replacement for proper brushing and flossing! There are no short-cuts for good oral health!

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My name is Ellie and I love all the latest beauty, fashion and hair trends. My blog covers anything from social media, product reviews & how-to guides. If you're anything like me and struggle for spare time hopefully you'll find my tips save you time and money.

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