Why Is Mouthwash Important for My Oral Health?

When maintaining optimal oral health and improving your smile, mouthwash plays a significant role. However, are you confident you are getting everything you want from your daily rinse? If you don’t, please continue reading this blog for the answers to common questions about mouthwash and how it improves your dental hygiene routine.

Importance of Mouthwash for Your Oral Health

Mouthwash has the potential to prevent many oral health problems. For example, mouthwash helps prevent gingivitis and gum disease by eradicating the bacteria that help with plaque buildup to strengthen your enamel and de-mineralize your teeth, allowing you to avoid tooth decay. Therefore, mouthwash remains an essential addition to your oral hygiene routine.

Is Mouthwash A Substitute for Brushing?

If you intend to remove plaque and food residue from your teeth, you won’t find a better alternative than brushing and flossing. Therefore mouthwash is not a substitute for brushing and is only a supplement to your brushing and flossing practices.

Are All Mouthwashes Similar?

It couldn’t be appropriate to call all mouthwash brands similar because there are different types available on the market performing various functions. For example, an antibacterial mouthwash prevents plaque buildup and halitosis by eliminating the harmful bacteria responsible for causing gum disease and tooth decay. Fluoride rinses are helpful for people without sufficient exposure to fluoride from community drinking water to help them battle tooth decay and gum disease. You can also purchase prescription mouthwash brands from drugstores if you are affected by gum disease and gingivitis. The prescription mouthwash brands help you battle the bacteria harming your gums.

Is Mouthwash a Cure for Bad Breath?

Unfortunately, it isn’t but only helps reduce bad breath. It is not a remedy for the root cause of halitosis. Furthermore, long-term effects are not delivered a mouthwash because these products, while killing odor-causing bacteria in your mouth, cannot reach harmful microorganisms residing in other parts of your body, such as your lungs. Bad breath is a sign of significant problems like gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is best masked by the pleasant spell of mouthwash instead of working as a remedy.

Can the Pregnant Use Mouthwash?

Pregnancy and mouthwash go hand-in-hand because dentists recommend mouthwash for pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. Mouthwash helps pregnant women prevent oral health issues such as pregnancy gingivitis, which results in pregnancy complications. In addition to avoiding damage to dental sockets and gums, mouthwash helps prevent women from entering premature labor.

How Long Must Mouthwash Remain in the Mouth during a Rinse?

Most mouthwash brands contain at least 20 percent alcohol that can sting your mouth when using it. Therefore you must utilize the mouthwash as recommended on its label and not exceed the time limit. Mouthwash brands recommend you rinse for 30 seconds to ensure you benefit from the product’s effectiveness and protect your gums and teeth.

Best Practices When Using Mouthwash

• Do not rinse your mouth immediately after brushing with mouthwash. Instead, wait for at least 30 minutes before rinsing your mouth. The toothpaste you use contains fluoride that must remain on your teeth for some time to help strengthen them and keep them healthy. When you rinse fluoride with mouthwash containing alcohol, you don’t receive the full benefits of fluoride, which helps strengthen tooth enamel to prevent decay from penetrating the deeper parts of your teeth. Therefore you must rinse with mouthwash after 30 minutes of brushing your teeth.
• Using mouthwash is beneficial after flossing. For example, if you floss your teeth before brushing, the mouthwash helps remove loosened food particles from the flossing and freshens your breath while keeping your mouth clean.
• You can use mouthwash after lunch and other meals or snacks if possible. A quick rinse with mouthwash helps kill mouth bacteria and remove food particles to prevent plaque buildup in your mouth that deposits acids.

We anticipate this blog has helped you learn about mouthwash significantly. Incorporating mouthwash into your oral hygiene routine will help freshen your breath and kill the microorganisms responsible for oral infections so long as you maintain excellent brushing and flossing practices. Do not overlook the need to get dental exams and cleanings every six months to ensure no untoward complications are developing in your mouth, in addition to your dental hygiene routine with mouthwash use.

Fox Creek Dental by Espire — Longmont recommend mouthwash use for patients when caring for their dental health. If you haven’t received dental prophylaxis over the last six months, kindly schedule an appointment with this family dental clinic for the therapy and accept a suggestion for using suitable mouthwash brands.