Many people use mouthwash as part of their dental hygiene routine. The dental rinse cleanses the teeth and the soft tissue and kills harmful germs for a fresher, more polished mouth and overall well-being. The rinse tag teams with brushing and flossing but cannot be used as a substitute to fight mouth odor.

If you plan to start using mouthwash, you could be confused about why you should incorporate it into your oral routine and whether to use it before or after brushing. Each case is unique, and dentists have different approaches, so it is crucial to consult with your dentist first.

Reasons for Using Mouthwash

The basis of oral hygiene is regular brushing and flossing. If you adhere to your dental hygiene routine, you might wonder why rinsing with mouthwash is essential. The mouth rinse is a perfect complement to improved oral and overall health. Mouthwash is antibacterial and contains fluoride, effectively killing hazardous bacteria in the mouth. Therefore, you must incorporate mouthwash if you observe a proper oral routine but struggle with bad breath.

You develop foul breath when the toxic bacteria in the mouth cause calculus and tartar to discharge explosive sulfur compounds that create bad breath. The antibacterial oral rinse is therefore designed to lessen the amount of germs in the mouth or neutralize the sulfur compounds in the mouth, temporarily eliminating the bad breath until the calculus and plaque build up again.

Everyone has these germs in the mouth, and you will likely have a foul breath occasionally. Mouthwash helps fix these lousy breath issues. However, if you suffer from halitosis or chronic bad breath, mouthwash is not the best solution. This occurs because of dental conditions affecting the mouth, like periodontal disease, dry mouth, tooth decay, stomach illnesses, or sinus.

The medical benefits of utilizing mouthwash include:

Controlling or Reducing Foul Breath

The most significant benefit of oral rinses is their capability to neutralize or eliminate mouth odors. The antibacterial kills the germs that trigger bad breath. If you want your mouth to feel fresher and cleaner, consider utilizing an oral rinse.

Offers Extra Protection Against Cavities

Oral rinses contain fluoride, a crucial mineral in strengthening the enamel and preventing cavities and decay. Therefore, mouthwash can significantly improve your dental hygiene routine if you live without fluoridated water.

Assist in Reducing the Possibility of Tartar and Gingivitis

Gingivitis is an early stage of gum disease characterized by inflamed gums and bleeding. The disease develops due to tartar and plaque buildup, which allows harmful germs to breed and cause oral infections. By utilizing an antiseptic oral rinse, you kill the bacteria that cause infections in the mouth. Also, the mouthwash reaches areas of the mouth where the brush does not go, removing food debris that could have accumulated, causing plaque and gingivitis.

Mouthwash Soothes Dental Discomfort

Some oral rinses contain calming elements that help reduce oral pain from mouth sores or minor wounds. Swishing this special oral rinse soothes the mouth from irritability, enabling you to eat and talk.

Other advantages include:

  • Fighting dry mouth
  • Promoting pearly white teeth

Using mouthwash offers many benefits, depending on when you use the dental rinse. Therefore, you should emphasize understanding the type of oral rinse and the best time to use it.

Mouth Rinses Types

Mouth or oral rinses are liquids you gargle in the mouth to moisturize your oral tissues, kill germs, reduce dental discomfort, and freshen your breath. You can purchase the rinses over-the-counter (OTC) or through prescription.

Before incorporating the mouth rinse into your routine, knowing whether you are using the appropriate one is crucial because several varieties exist in the market.

Also, your dentist can describe a mouth rinse depending on whether you risk developing oral conditions like gingivitis, xerostomia, decay, or periodontal disease. Apart from preventing oral disease, your dentist can prescribe mouthwash after root planing, dental surgery, or scaling to enhance healing, control bacteria load, and soothe discomfort. If you have a bodily impairment or health condition that prevents you from brushing, the dentist will recommend a therapeutic mouth rinse.

The two mouthwash categories to pick from are:

  1. Cosmetic Mouthrinses

When looking for a fresh mouth and a sweet taste in the mouth, you should consider a cosmetic mouth rinse. These oral rinses are available commercially over the counter and help control bad breath, remove food particles left after brushing, kill germs, and give you a pleasant, sweet taste. You can even find cosmetic rinses that contain bleaching agents that offer your teeth a whiter shade, enhancing your smile. However, these dental rinses contain whiteners and have no benefits for oral health.

Many cosmetic mouth rinses contain a high concentration of alcohol that helps kill bacteria that cause the plaque in the mouth to release sulfur elements that produce a terrible smell. Others are without alcohol but contain flavoring compounds like aloe vera, saline solutions, or saccharin to bring a sweet taste without interfering with your dental health.

However, you should know that these cosmetic mouth rinses do not address the source of the foul breath. They only cover or mask the bad breath temporarily. So, if you suffer from halitosis, the mouth rinse only reduces the odor for three hours; after that, the odor returns. If your mouth odor returns when the cosmetic mouthwash wears off, you should speak to an experienced dentist to establish the primary source of the smell. You could be suffering from periodontal disease, tooth decay, or medical illnesses like diabetes or bodily problems.

Even though cosmetic mouth rinses do not address oral health issues, they contain fluoride as an ingredient, which helps strengthen the enamel and prevent oral diseases like cavities.

  1. Therapeutic Mouth Rinses

If you are looking for an oral rinse that contains ingredients to enhance your overall dental health and, at the same time, provide the benefits of a cosmetic mouthwash, you should go for a therapeutic mouthwash. Unlike cosmetic rinses available OTC, your dentist can prescribe therapeutic mouthwashes or non-prescribe. They are approved by the American Dental Association (ADA) and controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The common ingredients in these oral rinses are essential oils used to treat gum tissue inflammation. Also, they contain fluoride, which strengthens tooth enamel and controls the development of dental caries or cavities. Chlorhexidine is also present in these oral rinses, which act as an antiseptic to pull out plaque and calculus. 

Therapeutic mouth rinses fall into four major categories. The first is the anti-gum inflammation or gingivitis/anti-plaque mouth rinse. Your dentist recommends the dental rinse to control germs present in plaque, thus helping control or prevent gingivitis. These oral rinses have chlorhexidine, which is highly effective in combating plaque buildup. If you are interested in this mouth rinse, you must visit your dentist for a prescription because you cannot purchase them without the approval of a dental professional. Most of these dental rinses are alcohol-based and, therefore, leave a nasty taste in the mouth. However, you can go for one that does not contain alcohol. The maximum duration for using anti-plaque or gingivitis oral rinses is at most six months.

Some therapeutic mouthwashes exist to combat dental cavities. These are known as activities, and their main ingredient is fluoride, which strengthens your enamel. If you want oral rinses with a high fluoride concentration, you will need a prescription from the dentist. However, for those with low concentrations, you can buy OTC. Your dentist will recommend these mouthwashes if you are prone to tooth cavities or wearing braces or clear aligners.

If you struggle with calculus, your dentist will recommend anti-tartar oral rinses, the main ingredient of which is zinc citrate.

Antibacterial therapeutic mouthwashes are the most suitable when combating bacteria-causing gum disease.

  1. Natural or Herbal Mouthwash

Natural mouth rinses are free of alcohol, preservatives, or dyes and contain herbal ingredients with soothing effects.

Effectiveness of Mouthwashes

Dentists have different opinions regarding the efficacy of various mouthwashes in enhancing dental health. ADA approves using mouthwash to improve oral health, but it depends on the kind of mouthwash used. For example, the organization agrees that mouth rinses help prevent tooth cavities, while cosmetic mouthwashes temporarily freshen your breath. Nevertheless, there is proof some mouth rinses cause tooth discoloration.

Mouth rinses only supplement or complement your dental hygiene. It cannot replace it. Dentists recommend combining brushing and flossing with mouthwash. However, many patients become confused about the most appropriate mouth rinse time.

Most Suitable Time to Utilize Mouth Rinses

The right time to use mouthwash depends on your lifestyle, routine, and diet. Therefore, the time of dental rinsing depends on your unique situation. When the goal is to establish a healthy dental routine, you should utilize mouth rinses as follows:

After Brushing

Do not gargle an oral rinse in the mouth immediately after brushing. Instead, wait at least half an hour to allow the fluoride in the toothpaste enough contact with your tooth enamel to provide sufficient protection and strength. When you swish the mouthwash after thirty minutes, your teeth will have sufficient protection, and any harmful germs in the mouth will be killed.

Also, the best time to use the mouth rinse is after brushing, as the antibacterial compounds stay in the mouth longer, serving their purpose. Nevertheless, when you utilize a mouth rinse before brushing, you will wash away the ingredients in the mouthwash that benefit your oral health, failing to achieve the outcome you were expecting.

After Eating

Another suitable time to rinse your mouth using mouthwash is after eating. Whenever you eat, food particles are left in the mouth. With time, this debris accumulates, forming a layer called plaque. When plaque further hardens, it causes tartar, a breeding ground for harmful germs that lead to bad breath, decay, cavities, and gingivitis. Therefore, it is recommended that you use a mouth rinse to pull out debris trapped in the mouth after eating. For effectiveness, use the mouthwash immediately after eating. You can carry small bottles of the liquid when traveling to remove the debris and maintain fresh breath.

Before Going to Bed

You should also rinse your mouth before bed. When sleeping, bacteria accumulate in the mouth, and this explains why most people wake up with a foul breath. However, if you rinse your mouth before bed, you protect your teeth and soft tissue.

Steps for Utilizing Mouthwash

ADA claims that the steps you follow when cleaning your teeth and rinsing make no significant difference in the result on your oral health and aesthetics. Nonetheless, many individuals brush their teeth, floss, and rinse their mouths using mouthwash. The teeth must be thoroughly cleaned before swishing with an anti-plaque, anti-cavity, or anti-gingivitis oral rinse.

For property usage of the mouthwash, check the label for instructions on using the product and the appropriate time to use it. Also, you should check if the ingredients are ADA-approved.

Afterward, you should measure the prescribed amount or the one on the label. You are discouraged from diluting the liquid solution.

Pour the liquid into the mouth, close the lips, and keep your teeth slightly apart before gargling. Swish the solution vigorously to ensure it reaches all sections of the mouth.

While gargling, keep your chin up to avoid swallowing the solution. Rinse the mouth for half a minute and then spit all the content in the mouth. Once you do this, do not smoke, rinse, or eat within half an hour because it lowers the mouthwash's effectiveness. 

Find a Reputable Advanced Dentistry Service Near Me

Supplementing your dental hygiene routine with mouthwash can significantly enhance the cleanliness or freshness of your teeth and prevent serious oral problems. Mouth rinses offer many benefits, but to obtain maximum results, you must understand the type of mouth rinse you should use for your oral needs and the best time to use it. If you are confused about the appropriate mouthwash and when to use it, Northridge Advanced Dentistry can help. Contact us at 818-701-3010 to arrange a no-obligation consultation.