Setting Priorities for Good Dental Health

Many people have bleeding gums, and they don’t think twice about it. They view it as a minor inconvenience. If you were bleeding from any other part of your body, you wouldn’t hesitate to see a physician. If you lost a body part you wouldn’t hesitate to have it replaced. We have 32 teeth - they are all body parts.

While we may not need our teeth to live like one needs a heart, we need our mouth to be pain-free and functional to enjoy a good quality of life.

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Ingredients in Some Mouthwashes Include Alcohol

Besides water and sweeteners such as sorbitol and sodium saccharine, many commercial brands of mouthwash include other active ingredients such as eucalyptol, hexetidine, thymol, hydrogen peroxide, methyl salicylate, enzymes, fluoride and calcium. Many brands of mouthwash such as Scope or Listerine contain from 6.6% to 26.9% of alcohol, more than beer or wine [Pediatrics for Parents, March 1993]. These formulations rely on a high alcohol content to temporarily kill bacteria that causes bad breath. This is almost counterproductive since antiseptic mouthwashes with high alcohol content may lead to dry mouth, which makes you more prone to bad breath than a moist mouth; and if swallowed may be dangerous, especially for children. Drinking plenty of water can be important in treating unpleasant mouth odors.

No matter what type of mouthwash you choose, you should rinse for the amount of time stated on the product. Avoid using mouthwash in excess of the recommended amount or frequency. Mouthwashes or rinses should not take the place of daily tooth brushing and flossing, which are essential to remove particles of food on and between teeth. Mouthwash, when used appropriately, is used to kill bacteria that cause bad breath and gingivitis. No mouthwash is capable of killing the bacteria that causes gum disease.

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