Smile with Confidence: A Comprehensive Guide to Dental Health and Care

Is Mouthwash Important?

From a young age you might remember your parents nagging you to brush before bed. If your parents were persistent they might have even made you gargle mouthwash too. In adulthood good breath is even more important because we might be facing clients and bad breath leaves a very bad impression. It’s worth keeping breath mints on hand to avoid a close encounter with gross breath. Anyways, how much does mouthwash help? Brushing your teeth regularly seems to do the trick. Besides, mouthwash stings and then there is the added fear of swallowing some. A family dentist has a few reasons why mouthwash is worth your time.

Mouthwash Fights Bacteria

Most people will tell you that they use mouthwash to freshen their breath. After a good gargle they feel a very clean tingling sensation that is a universal sign of clean. If this gets you to use mouthwash than I am sure the companies that sell it will feel like they’ve done their job. However, mouthwash does more than leave your mouth feeling fresh. It fights bacteria that cause gum disease. If someone was having early stage gum problems and they started using mouthwash it might cure the problem. Mouthwash does not require a prescription in the US, so you can conveniently buy at most area stores.

Is Mouthwash a Substitute for Brushing?

A top dentist would tell you that mouthwash is not a substitute for brushing your teeth. While mouthwash has several dental health benefits it does not go about removing plaque like a brush does. When brushing your teeth you are loosing the plaque that has caked on from day to day. It is a good idea to brush before rinsing your mouth with mouthwash because if helps removed the loosed plaque that your brush missed. It would be even better if you could floss after brushing and the finishing touch would be mouthwash. This is the most optimal way for the rinse to cleanse your mouth of the bad bacteria.

Good Gum Health Starts with Mouthwash

For starters mouthwash is a great way to keep your mouth fresh and mostly free of bacteria. However, too much rinsing could remove good bacteria. It’s recommended to not use mouthwash more than once a day. It wouldn’t even be a bad thing to rinse less than once every few days. If you are prone to getting cavities it might be a good idea to investigate your home water. People that live in developments that do not have fluoride water could have issues with cavities. If you find out that you don’t have fluoride water you might want to drink bottled water. Most bottled water has fluoride in it and that’s a great way to protect your gums and teeth from cavities or gum disease. You should visit your dentist to find out if a prescription mouthwash is right for you. It contains an active ingredient called, chlorhexidine, this is found in most prescription mouthwashes because it has a much more active antibacterial agent.

Reasons to Investigate Bad Breath

If you are someone who uses mouthwash to help treat bad breath there are a few options for you. Firstly, you will want to consult with your dentist about chronic bad breath because that could be a sign of a medical issue. Next, investigate the market for mouthwashes that are going to specifically treat bad breath. Another way you can more simply help cure bad breath would be to brush your tongue while brushing your teeth. By brushing your tongue you are scrapping the bacteria off that could be causing the odor.

Healing Canker Sores

Canker Sores are lesions that are shallow and tooth sized in diameter. These can happen when an irritation in your mouth occurs. Sometimes brushing your teeth too aggressively causes canker sores. Most of the time they go away on their own, but using mouthwash helps to numb the area so that it might make it easier to talk or eat depending on the placement of the canker sore.

ADA Seal of Approval

The American Dental Association (ADA) offers a seal on mouthwashes that have specific evidence of controlling gingivitis. In order to receive the seal the product has to go through several tests that prove the product can actually make a difference. Typically, mouthwashes that contain fluoride will be approved because that is an ingredient the ADA has proven to help fight gingivitis.