Walking through the dental aisles at the pharmacy nowadays can be quite overwhelming. There so many different products: toothpastes, mouthrinses, interdental aids, etc. Often times patients asked me:” Dr. is this product good for me?”

Let’s take mouth rinses for example. A lot of you out there have a favorite mouth rinse and some of you can’t stand them due to the harsh taste. How do you choose the one that’s right for you, is it even necessary to use a rinse after brushing?

If you have cavities for example there are fluoride mouth rinses available. Personally, I prefer fluoride trays so that there’s less of a possibility of ingesting fluoride during the daily treatment. If you suffer from gingivitis there are mouth rinses that claim to reduce bleeding gums. And some of these are actually quite effective. My favorite one is the Natural Dentist rinse, which is alcohol free and scientifically proven to do this. The tartar control mouth rinses do not work that well, and you still have to resort to the good ole’ tooth brush to remove the plaque manually. No rinse will ever be as good as mechanical removal of the plaque from the teeth.

I must caution you about two things when it comes to mouth rinses:

1. Some with the mouth rinses out there have a lot of chemicals and artificial coloring which are not healthy for us, when ingested. Some of these may even cross the mucosal barrier in the mouth and possibly get accumulated with time as toxins in our bodies. One of the rinses I ran across had no active ingredients at all, it was purely colored water with good flavor.

2. The pH of some of these mouth rinses is quite acidic, as low as 3.0. The pH of the mouth should be around neutral, around 7. Research has shown that below pH of 5.5 teeth demineralize within half an hour. How do you know what pH your favorite mouth rinse is, you ask? Get a pH meter or pH strips and test it. It only takes a few seconds. If the pH is less than 4 don’t use that rinse, because in my opinion it may damage your teeth. Our diets are acidic enough as they are, so it makes more sense to choose a mouth rinse which is more alkaline to remineralize the teeth.

Personally I choose not to use a mouth rinse. Brushing twice a day and flossing or water flossing is effective at plaque control without a rinse. However if you love your mouthwash because of that fresh taste, just make sure it’s not damaging to your teeth: pick one that’s pH balanced and alcohol free.

In great health,
Dr. Sanda

For more oral health tips from an award-winning periodontist and nutritionist contact Dr. Sanda Moldovan to schedule a consultation.