Is Mouthwash Good for Oral Hygiene?

Mouthwash, alternatively called an oral rinse, is a liquid that helps rinse your teeth and mouth. Mouthwash contains antiseptics helpful for killing bacteria that live between your teeth and your tongue. Mouthwash can be an excellent supplement when maintaining your oral health and improving your smile. However, mouthwash alone does not represent good oral hygiene without brushing and flossing.

Brushing your teeth and flossing them is essential when maintaining excellent dental hygiene, and mouthwash cannot replace them. Furthermore, mouthwash delivers the best results only when used correctly. You must also understand that different brand formulas have other ingredients, and not all mouthwash brands strengthen your teeth.

Using Mouthwash Safely

When using any mouthwash brand, you help yourself by following the suggestions mentioned.

• Start by brushing your teeth and flossing them. If you use fluoride toothpaste, wait for 30 minutes before using mouthwash. The half-hour delay is essential to help the fluoride remain on your teeth because mouthwash can rinse away concentrated fluoride contained in the toothpaste.
• You might wonder how much mouthwash you must use every time. However, you can pour the liquid into a cup provided by the manufacturers or a plastic cup. Use the product according to the instructions mentioned on the brand’s label without exceeding the dose. Generally, 3 to 5 teaspoons are sufficient for a single rinse.
• Empty the cup into your mouth and swish the liquid around. Mouthwash isn’t for ingesting and won’t function if you swallow it. You can gargle the liquid for 30 seconds before spitting it out.

When Is Mouthwash Use Suggested?

Many people use mouthwash as part of their everyday dental hygiene practices. You can also use it as a rinse against lousy breath.

No hard and fast guidelines are available on when to use mouthwash. However, mouthwash won’t strengthen enamel or keep your teeth and gums healthy if misused. For optimal results, your teeth benefit better if they are freshly cleaned before mouthwash use.

How Frequently Should You Use Mouthwash?

As mentioned earlier, mouthwash is not a substitute for brushing and flossing and doesn’t help keep your mouth clean. Most mouthwash brands suggest using the product twice a day after brushing and flossing.

Mouthwash after oral surgery

You will confront challenges brushing and flossing your teeth after oral surgeries. Your dentist recommends not to brush or perform oral hygiene routines for 24 hours after the process. The instructions are to ensure the blood clot at the surgical site remains in your mouth.

Some dentists offer patients a medicated rinse for use during the first week and recommend using the rinse the day after the surgery for a week. Saltwater rinses are beneficial to rinse your mouth after oral surgery. Saltwater also helps heal the wound and is useful when used three to four times daily.

Stopping Oral Health Problems Before They Start

If you want to avoid oral health issues before they appear in your mouth, using mouthwash helps. In reality, antibacterial mouthwashes help control dental plaque in your mouth responsible for problems like tooth decay. In addition, if you use fluoride mouthwash as a supplement because you don’t have access to fluoridated community water, you find the mouthwash enables you to effectively battle gum disease by killing germs harming your gums.

Mouthwash is also an excellent remedy for pregnant women who become susceptible to cavities in their teeth because of plaque buildup in their mouths. In addition, pregnancy gingivitis is another condition affecting pregnant women that mouthwash can help control by killing the bacteria in the mouth responsible for the situation.

How Does Mouthwash Function?

Research reveals that mouthwash helps to prevent plaque and gingivitis. Unfortunately, because the formulas of mouthwash brands are different, the use of mouthwash is closely tied to excellent oral hygiene practices. Therefore, it is challenging to determine how much mouthwash helps and which formula is the best.

Mouthwash functions by killing bacteria with antiseptics like alcohol, menthol, and eucalyptol. The ingredients get into the crevices between your teeth and difficult-to-reach areas of your mouth, like behind the molars, to kill bacteria accumulating in the area. Unfortunately, mouthwash can sting your mouth when you taste it.

Mouthwash brands contain a high volume of alcohol and fluoride that are better not ingested in high quantities. The American Dental Association doesn’t recommend mouthwash for children under six for the above reason.

Mouthwash helps reduce the odor of lousy breath, although it isn’t a treatment for halitosis. You can include mouthwash in your regular dental hygiene routine to maintain your oral hygiene in optimal shape without considering it a substitute for brushing and flossing.

ESP Dental suggests mouthwash use to patients approaching them for preventive dental care. They also prescribe specific mouthwash brands for use against particular dental issues. If you need help choosing a mouthwash brand to supplement your oral hygiene routine, kindly schedule an appointment with the practice for assistance.