Mouthwash Basics You Must Know

Mouthwash Basics You Must Know

Aside from brushing and flossing your teeth regularly, one way of keeping the mouth clean is through the use of a mouthwash. Rinsing your mouth with a mouthwash does not only aim to give you a fresh and clean breath. Instead, it also protects your teeth from tartars and plaques and protects your gums from infections and bacteria. There are other benefits of the using the mouthwash. On the other hand, it also has some drawbacks.
The Benefits
Cavity Prevention. Using a mouthwash after having brushing can get your teeth be protected from cavity. Some mouthwashes have some amount of fluoride and this can make the teeth stronger and less prone to plaques and cavity. The fluoride can reduce the demineralization of the teeth that can lead to the slower formation of cavity.
Gums Disease Prevention. Gum diseases can be prevented by rinsing the mouth with an antibacterial mouthwash. The antibacterial mouthwash can flush away the bacteria inside the mouth that are causing the gums to be inflamed. The periodontal disease can be prevented as well by rinsing your mouth regularly with a mouthwash.
Canker Sores Relief. A mouthwash can also sooth a canker sore so that you will be relieved for a moment. The mouthwash can detoxify the affected area, flushing away the germs that are irritating the gums and the tissues. With this, you will feel a little bit more comfortable.
Pregnancy Safety. Using a mouthwash can reduce the risk of having a periodontal disease. And, this can make your pregnancy safer. The periodontal disease can affect the baby inside the mother’s womb because of the bacteria from the gums that can be transmitted through the bloodstreams. By preventing the periodontal disease to form, you are also guarding the safety of your baby.
The Drawbacks
It can irritate more the canker sore. A mouthwash with the right alcohol content soothes a canker sore because it flushes away the bacteria that are irritating it. However, if the alcohol content of the mouthwash is very high, it can indeed flush away the bacteria but its alcohol content can irritate more the affected area. Thus, you have to make sure that your mouthwash has the right alcohol content.
At the same time, the mouthwash does not maintain a fresh breath for a long time. A mouthwash can give you a fresh breath but it is for a short time only. If you have a poor personal oral hygiene, your bad breath can be smelled later on when the mouthwash is no longer effective. Thus, this is not recommended for fresh breath maintenance. Still, the best way of maintaining a fresh breath is by brushing the teeth regularly and eating the right kind of foods.
The bottom line is that the use of mouthwash should not be treated as a substitute for brushing your teeth. Even if you are using a mouthwash, you should still brush your teeth regularly. For best protection, brush your teeth every day, floss it regularly, and rinse your mouth with a mouthwash before going to bed so that you will have a fresh breath when you wake up in the morning. It is useless to be gargling with a mouthwash when you do not care to brush your teeth. As a conclusion, you still need to brush your teeth before using the mouthwash with the right alcohol content.