Found a good article on mouthwash from Time.com. It brings up a great question...does mouthwash make your breath better or worse?
I know this sounds ridiculous, but Listerine, the most popular mouthwash, contains 26.9% alcohol. And, while alcohol facilitates dissolving some of the flavor oils, it also dries out the mouth. Saliva helps "wash away" bacteria, thus a dry mouth is a fertile area for bacteria.
So, what to do? I've written about flossing before (http://cocanuts.blogspot.com/2008/01/floss.html and http://cocanuts.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-floss.html) , but I will iteriate. Remember to floss to get the food that gets trapped between your teeth, use an electric toothbrush, and scrape or brush your tongue. And, although I haven't really tried them, you can try one of the non-alcohol containing mouthwashes. Post a comment if you have tried one of them.
3 comments:
Use Listerine, rinse mouth with water and drink a little water.
The alcohol content is not news, Steve. Listerine, butterscotch schnapps and kahlua make a delicious toddy I call "Medicine cabinet-ini"
Isn't there also an association between alcohol-containing mouthwash and oral cancer? I use Crest alcohol-free whitening mouthwash. It's got peroxide in it, I think, and this is going to sound a little strange, but I can't swish as long as I can with other mouthwashes because it gets too bubbly and spills out of my mouth. Overall, though, I'd say it works at least in the short term for the breath, and is a good alternative if you're using your mouthwash for purposes other than mixed drinks.
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