Brushing and flossing are talked about frequently, but how important is mouthwash in your oral hygiene routine? Do you know? According to the American Dental Association, patients use it for a variety of reasons. Learn about the reasons mouthwash can be an essential part of your oral hygiene routine and whether or not you need to use it.

Mouthwash: What Is It Exactly?

This is essentially a mouth rinse that can help cleanse the mouth of certain bacterias and dislodge food that has become stuck in small spaces. Many types of mouth rinses contain an antiseptic such as alcohol, which is a cleaning agent in healthcare. This is why mouthwash is just a rinse instead of something you ingest. These antiseptics can kill bacteria associated with bad breath. One of the main functions besides cleaning is to freshen breath. However, if your breath problem is chronic, it could be a sign of gum disease or another oral health problem, which a mouth rinse can’t fix.

Experts recommend that children younger than 6 years of age stay away from mouthwash. Children this young may accidentally swallow the mouthwash or swallow too much. Either case is not good, so for safe measures, only have children over age 6 use mouthwash with adult supervision.

Two Different Types

According to the American Dental Association, there are actually two different types of mouthwash. Those two are cosmetic and therapeutic.

• Cosmetic – This mouthrinse is solely for cosmetic purposes (hence the name). You can buy these types of mouthwashes over-the-counter at most stores that sell toiletries. The main function is to freshen breath and kill bacteria that cause it. This type of rinse is not meant to cure oral health issues.
• Therapeutic – These are the special mouthwashes that not only kill bacteria that cause bad breath, but also have other functions for helping your oral health. There are mouthwashes for problems such as gingivitis, plaque and tooth decay. There are also many that are fluoride rinses. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by providing a protective layer to the teeth that makes it more resistant to acids and sugars in the foods you eat.

Why Is It Important?

Mouthwash can get into tiny nooks and crannies that your toothbrush and floss can’t reach. This is especially true for the back of your mouth where the teeth are harder to see than the front teeth. Many mouthwashes require you to do the following: measure out the specific amount of rinse, swish the rinse vigorously for the directed amount of time, spit out the rinse and wait 30 minutes before eating and drinking. The last one is to ensure that certain rinses (such as ones that use fluoride) can have enough time to sit on the teeth to be effective.

Reducing bad bacteria in the mouth can help your oral health. Bacteria in the mouth mixes with sugars from the foods you eat to form plaque. That plaque then sits on the teeth and, over time, can erode the tooth enamel and cause cavities. Plaque buildup can also lead to gum disease, which eventually causes the gums to become red, inflamed, and to recede from the teeth. This then causes the teeth to fall out. There are mouthwashes available that help reduce plaque build-up, lowering your risk for oral health problems. The more preventative measures you take with your health, the better off you’ll be.

What Else Should I Be Doing?

There are some patients that believe that mouthwash is all they need since it kills germs. That’s not the case though. Think of mouthwash as the seasoning on top of chicken. Your meal can be delicious as is, but is made even better with some seasoning. Your oral health can be perfectly healthy with brushing and flossing alone, but adding mouthwash to your routine can make your mouth extra healthy. However, make sure to pay attention to the label. Many mouthwashes contain instructions to rinse for a certain amount of time to receive the benefits. Usually this is between 30-60 seconds.

Besides rinsing with mouthwash, you should always be brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing every single day. These are the best 2 preventative measures when it comes to combatting cavities (dental caries) and gum disease). Both conditions are completely preventable with proper oral hygiene practices. Control the amount of acidic foods you eat that can erode your tooth enamel and limit the sugary foods that lead to more plaque. As always, we recommend seeing us at least biannually to monitor the health of your teeth and gums.

Your Healthy Teeth

The road to healthy teeth is not a hard one. If you stick to the basics, you can avoid many problems down the road. If you’re not brushing twice a day and flossing every day, start now. Adding mouthwash to your routine can improve your breath and can also help other oral health problems if you use a therapeutic type of rinse. To learn more about mouthwash and what types we suggest using, call our Mountain Aire Dentistry office today at (303) 731-7755!