All You Need To About The Types Of Mouthwashes In Dentistry

All You Need To About The Types Of Mouthwashes In Dentistry

We know it’s hard to figure out which colorful mouthwash is best for you when you’re in a store’s oral health care aisle and looking at all the different bottles. Let me break it down so you can better understand what you can buy.

Manufacturers Usually Put Over-The-Counter Mouthwashes Into Three Main Groups:

  1. Mouthwashes With Fluoride
  2. Mouthwashes With Antiseptic
  3. Mouthwashes That Whiten Your Teeth

Mouthwashes With Fluoride

Fluoride mouthwashes, usually purple and called “anti-caries” because they usually have 0.02% sodium fluoride in them, are also called “anti-caries.” Fluoride is good for your teeth and can prevent cavities if you tend to get them. But for this very small amount of sodium fluoride to get into your teeth, mouthwashes must be very acidic, which means they have a low pH. This can damage the enamel on your teeth over time. One of the things they use is phosphoric acid, which we use to etch the teeth before bonding them. So you can guess what a strong acid that is!

On the other hand, the fluoride treatment you get at a dentist’s office is usually 10 times stronger and has a neutral pH. This way, right after you clean your teeth, when there is no plaque or tartar, fluoride has the best chance of getting into your enamel and making your teeth and gums stronger. If I had to recommend an over-the-counter (OTC) fluoride mouthwash, it would be ACT. Why? It has a pH of 7 and contains 0.05% sodium fluoride, almost three times as much as the others. Also, the top of the bottle has a system for measuring one dose, so you can never use too much and get too much fluoride or mouthwash. So go for it if you like the taste of Berry Blue, Bubblegum, or Fruit Punch.

Mouthwashes That Kill Germs

The next group is mouthwashes that kill germs. These are the ones most people use, and because they have a lot of alcohol, they usually burn when you rinse with them. Alcohol is an antiseptic, but it kills all the bacteria in our mouths. This makes our mouths less balanced and more likely to get a yeast or fungus infection. 

Also, studies have shown that drinking a lot of alcohol is a big cause of oral cancer. So most of these mouthwashes have 25–27% alcohol in them. This is two to three times the amount of alcohol in a glass of wine or beer. And when you drink a glass of wine or beer, you sip it and swallow it. With an antiseptic mouthwash, you swish it around in your mouth for 30 seconds at a time, twice a day, and push it into your cheeks and gums. Over time it will cause cell mutations and then lead to oral cancer. Alcohol can also dry out your mouth, which makes you more likely to get cavities.

Also, CPC, which is also known as Cetylpyridinium Chloride, is a common ingredient in antiseptic mouthwashes. This will kill germs, but it will also turn your teeth brown. And the Eucalyptol and Thymol commonly found in antiseptic mouthwash will stain your teeth yellow. These stains can be removed with a professional dental cleaning, but do you want to walk around with severely stained teeth from mouthwash?

Which over-the-counter mouthwash that kills germs would I suggest? Only one is sure to be alcohol-free, but I don’t recommend them to my patients. If they want to freshen their breath, I tell them to mix it with water. This way, they get the effect of freshening their breath without the harmful effects of alcohol. We do this in the office to make the water our patients use to rinse taste better while in the dental chair.

Mouthwashes That Whiten Your Teeth

This is the last type of over-the-counter mouthwash that whiten your teeth. Most of these have hydrogen peroxide in them to make them whiter. Most of the time, the bottles are opaque and not see-through, so the hydrogen peroxide doesn’t break down. Even though the amount of hydrogen peroxide is not very high, it can still damage your gums. Even if the bottle says “Pre-brushing whitening rinse,” we don’t think anyone should use a whitening mouthwash. These only make your teeth sensitive and don’t work as well as you think, especially if your teeth are covered in tartar or plaque. And the sensitivity can be especially high for people going through a recession. Floss and brush your teeth if you want whiter teeth.

So, I hope this has helped you see what kinds of over-the-counter mouthwash are out there.You can visit our periodontist to get appropriate advice on mouthwashes.