Today, pharmacies and supermarkets are literally overflowing with various oral care products. There is a great variety of toothpastes, gum gels, flosses and other products on the shelves. One of the consistently popular products in this category is mouthwash.
Most dentists are confident that to prevent caries and other dental problems, it is enough to simply follow the rules of brushing - use toothpaste at least 2 times a day and carefully remove food debris with a special floss. Ordinary citizens usually use rinses more to eliminate bad breath or to prevent gum inflammation.
Whether it is necessary to buy a mouthwash or whether you can do without it is an ambiguous question, to which we will try to find an answer in the framework of this article.
What types of rinses are there?
A huge number of rinses that we see on the market can be classified into:
- hygienic - they have a rather cosmetic effect and are designed to eliminate bad breath;
- medicinal – these products already serve to eliminate certain dental diseases.
As for medicinal rinses, they are divided into the following types, depending on functionality:
- Against plaque and to prevent the development of gingivitis. These compounds can slow down the growth of bacteria in the oral cavity. They consist of antiseptics such as chlorhexidine and triclosan.
- Against the occurrence of caries. They contain increased fluoride content, which strengthens teeth and prevents caries from developing.
- Against the formation of tartar. Mouthwashes in this category contain calcium citrate and prevent the accumulation of hard dental plaque.
When is it recommended to use?
Keep in mind! Not all children are able to clean their teeth efficiently using only toothpaste and a brush.
This is often due to a dislike of hygiene procedures, undeveloped coordination of movements, or a combination of these qualities.
Mouth rinse solutions are a kind of “final touch” and bring the result to perfection.
Until your baby gets used to rinsing his mouth and then spitting liquid into the sink, monitor his actions .
In addition, the baby mouthwash allows you to :
- reduce the likelihood of developing caries in baby teeth by 25%;
- accelerate processes after tooth loss;
- eliminate pathogenic fungi and bacteria;
- Form healthy habit every day .
What are the benefits of mouthwashes?
Of course, not a single product of this type can protect 100% from dental or periodontal diseases. However, they do a good job of fighting bacteria and freshening your breath. Thanks to herbal extracts, many of them quickly relieve gum inflammation.
Other benefits of using mouth rinses include:
- These are 100% ready-to-use solutions that are ideal for express care of teeth and gums.
- As a rule, rinses have a rather pleasant smell and taste, which creates a certain comfort when using them.
- Such products have a deodorizing effect, allowing you to maintain fresh breath almost all day long. Fragrances are usually mint or menthol.
- Therapeutic and prophylactic agents are characterized by anti-caries, anti-inflammatory and disinfectant effects. They can also significantly reduce tooth sensitivity.
- Mouthwashes that do not contain alcohol can be used by children aged 6 years and older, pregnant women and those with severe allergies to alcohol.
- Anti-caries products, due to fluorine and calcium, help strengthen the enamel. Such solutions can be used regularly.
Why do you need mouthwash?
Compared to a toothbrush and toothpaste, thanks to its liquid form, the rinse is able to reach hard-to-reach corners of the mouth, which allows you to wash away food debris, including from the interdental space. The antibacterial properties of rinses make it possible to destroy bacteria that cause caries and gum disease on the surface of the gums, tongue, cheeks, and palate. Thanks to this, fresh breath lasts longer after using a mouthwash than after using toothpaste alone.
Rinse aid functions:
- ensuring long-lasting fresh breath;
- cleansing the oral cavity from food debris and bacteria;
- prevention of dental problems (bleeding gums, caries, etc.);
- teeth whitening.
The severity of these effects depends on the type and composition of the rinse aid.
Main types of rinse aids
There are two types of rinses: cosmetic and medicinal.
Cosmetic rinses
Cosmetic rinses are relatively harmless. There is no particular benefit from such products, they also do not cause harm - unless you become allergic to any component. They have an exceptional deodorizing effect - it freshens the breath and gives it a pleasant smell. You can safely buy them at any pharmacy, choosing them according to the most pleasant smell, color or taste for you.
Whitening rinses - contain oxygen and hydroxyapatites, which help lighten the enamel. You should not expect to get an effect similar to professional whitening with their help. Among the side effects, hydroxyapatites can cause individual intolerance. If you have individual intolerance, it is better not to take risks and entrust teeth whitening to professionals.
Therapeutic rinses
Therapeutic rinses remove bacterial plaque, help in the treatment of caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, strengthen tooth enamel and normalize blood circulation in the gums. They contain medicinal substances, so they are used only as prescribed by a doctor! Otherwise, there is a risk of not only not improving the condition of the oral cavity, but also aggravating some problems.
Anti-plaque rinses - active ingredients destroy microorganisms and prevent tartar from covering the teeth again.
Anti-caries rinses - orthodontists advise when hygiene is difficult, when the risk of caries increases. For example, when wearing braces.
Anti-inflammatory rinses - actively kill bacteria and help relieve inflammation.
Cons of mouthwashes
Hygienic products are not mandatory for use, since cheaper and no less effective analogues are plain water, herbal infusions or green tea. Such rinses, as a rule, simply dull bad breath, but do not eliminate the causes of its occurrence. In addition, some products can stain tooth enamel, which, of course, is unlikely to benefit it.
It is also important that many of them contain alcohol, which means they cannot be given to children, much less swallowed. Since some of the standard contained in such products still enters the bloodstream, being absorbed from the oral cavity, mouthwashes are contraindicated for patients with alcoholism.
Despite the fact that these products effectively destroy microbes, they can cause inflammation and dry mucous membranes. If this occurs, use of the rinse aid should be stopped immediately.
Features of using mouthwashes for children
In addition to child safety caps, many baby rinses have built-in dispensers so that the child uses a strictly defined recommended amount of liquid.
Many baby mouthwash manufacturers offer education through kid-friendly Internet sites with fun facts, games, quizzes, and parenting materials (coupons, college programs). Others offer free oral hygiene programs to schools and other groups, as well as free promotional products to promote oral health habits.
How to use mouthwash
Although the rinse aid is quite simple to use, you should still follow some rules:
- You need to rinse your mouth with it only after brushing - only in this case the ions of active substances will be fixed on the teeth.
- The rinsing procedure should take a minimum of 40 seconds and a maximum of 2 minutes.
- Before use, you must study the composition and instructions. The fact is that a number of solutions require dilution with water.
- One rinse should take you approximately 10-15 ml, which can be easily measured using a special cap. For children and adolescents, 5 ml is enough.
- The solution must be filtered through the teeth several times - thus, all sides of the oral cavity are washed.
- The products should not be swallowed, because most of them contain alcohol or fluoride.
- Rinses should be used no more than 3 times a day.
- In order for the solution to perform its function, it is forbidden to drink or eat food for 30 minutes after its use.
- If there is a substance such as fluoride in the mouthwash, it is recommended to purchase a paste with calcium.
How to rinse your mouth correctly
Finally, we would like to give some tips on how to use mouthwash as effectively as possible. The rules are simple:
- You cannot think that mouthwash completely replaces a toothbrush. This is an additional hygiene product.
- You need to rinse correctly. Place the amount of mouthwash indicated on the package into your mouth. Make sure you rinse your entire mouth thoroughly. The minimum procedure time is 30 seconds. This makes it more likely that all food debris has been removed along with plaque and bacteria. Do not swallow liquid!
- There is no need to rinse off the rinse aid with water! This will significantly reduce the effect
It is preferable to use mouthwash after every meal.
Criteria for choosing a rinse aid
It is necessary to choose a rinse aid carefully - this will help to avoid various misunderstandings in the future. That is why it is recommended that you first make an appointment for a consultation with your doctor to clarify your individual characteristics, because This or that solution is not suitable for everyone. In addition, in order to avoid purchasing a low-quality product, you should ask for the product only in trusted pharmacies.
Of course, daily use of mouthwash can protect you from many problems with teeth and gums. However, we should not forget that the choice of remedy is a rather personal issue that should be resolved with the help of a dentist. Often, an incorrectly selected solution can only aggravate existing diseases or cause banal irritation.
When buying a rinse liquid, you need to look, first of all, at the spectrum of its effects. So, to prevent caries, you should take a product with amino fluoride or sodium fluoride. Antiseptic rinses with a high content of chlorhexidine, triclosan and other substances should not be used for longer than 2-3 weeks. Otherwise, this will lead to disruption of the microflora in the mouth, as a result of which the mucous membrane may dry out and an odor may appear.
For those who have obvious gum problems and chronic gingivitis, liquids with herbal extracts and plant components are perfect. They can be used for quite a long time to achieve maximum effect. Often these are the solutions prescribed by periodontists during the treatment of gum inflammation.
Availability of products and their prices
[google]
Baby mouthwashes come in flavors that kids like: bubble gum, cinnamon, berry, mint, or citrus.
Rinse aids for children are sold in supermarkets, pharmacies, and stores. Their average cost ranges from 120 to 150 rubles.
The most popular mouthwashes for children contain fluoride to prevent tooth decay. For example, Oral-B Anti-Cavity Rinse and ACT for Kids have received approval from the American Dental Association (ADA). Listerine, Dr. Fresh and Vi-Jon are other popular brands that offer pre- and post-brushing rinses for children.
Precautionary measures
If you use mouthwashes that contain alcohol, switch to alcohol-free formulations. If, for reasons of your dental health, you need to use alcohol-containing or medicated rinses produced by prescription with a high concentration of active substances, store them out of the reach of children. This measure will prevent poisoning. For a child weighing 12 kg, a dose of 150-300 ml of rinse aid can be lethal.
Be alert for signs of alcohol or fluoride poisoning. Signs of alcohol poisoning: irritability, a strong drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) as a result of the binding of glucose by alcohols, loss of consciousness, lethargy and convulsions. Signs of fluoride poisoning include shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, shock, hand tremors and convulsions. If your child has these symptoms, call a poison control center or 911 immediately.
