Have you been browsing the mouthwash aisle of your local supermarket and found yourself a little overwhelmed by all the options? We don’t blame you, there are so many different brands and styles of mouthwash now it’s really hard to keep up with what’s best for you. Not to worry though your hygienist Richmond has put together a little guide on all you need you know about mouthwashes.
Which One Is The Right One?
Adding in a mouthwash to your oral health routine can be a great way to add a few extra bonus points to your hygiene and care. There are mouthwashes that can improve breath, help whiten, soothe dry mouths and encourage better tooth enamel but do you need these and if so which one to choose?
There are two different types of mouthwash: therapeutic or cosmetic.
Therapeutic mouthwashes are specially designed to help reduce plaque and help guard against gum disease and decay. In some cases your hygienist Richmond could recommend an antimicrobial mouthwash which can only be bought over the counter or prescribed by a dentist. Therapeutic mouthwashes also help freshen breath.
Then we have cosmetic mouthwashes, cosmetic mouthwashes are purely designed to help you feel like you have a super clean mouth and lovely fresh breath. Though these are designed to help get rid of unwanted smell they do not get rid of bacteria or plaque.
How To Choose?
The best way to go about finding the right mouthwash for you would be to first come and see us at Sheen Dental for a check up. That way we can assess what your oral health needs are and go from there.
For example if you are super healthy and not in need of any treatment then a cosmetic mouthwash could be all you need and even then you might not need to use one - in these cases it’s really personal preference.
If you were to come to us with symptoms of dry mouth we could recommend a therapeutic mouthwash which has properties to help sooth your tongue, gums and reduce symptoms. Alternatively if you were worried about the strength of your enamel as you’d experienced some sensitivity lately we could recommend a mouthwash with an appropriate fluoride content.
When looking for mouthwashes for children then you really ought to come and see us first, as lots of products can be too harsh on children's teeth and really they shouldn’t require them.
What Mouthwashes Are Not
It’s really important that we stress that mouthwashes are never a replacement for daily cleaning and flossing, they are just there to help support more complete oral hygiene practices.
If you were to visit us and we found gum disease, after an appointment with your hygienist Richmond they could recommend adding a mouthwash to the end of your oral hygiene routine to help swill out any debris left behind but again this is an added practice not a solution to gum disease.
If you’d like to hear more on the mouthwashes we recommend then contact the practice directly.