They promise breath that smells like mint – and more: mouthwashes are supposed to protect against tooth decay and bleeding gums. Who they can particularly help, why gargling is the wrong technique and what experts recommend.
Brushing your teeth? Is done. But in many bathrooms, oral hygiene is far from over. For some people, reaching for a mouthwash is now a must – if only for the wonderfully fresh breath afterwards.
But what good are the green, blue or reddish waters? And how should you use them so that they work best? A dentistry professor and an expert from Stiftung Warentest provide answers.
What are the benefits of mouthwash solutions?
In contrast to mouthwashes, which have to be diluted with water, mouthwash solutions are available ready-to-use in the supermarket, drugstore or pharmacy. They advertise their protection against bleeding gums or plaque.
And they can actually be “a very useful addition to oral hygiene,” says Prof. Stefan Zimmer. He is the chair of tooth preservation and preventive dentistry at the University of Witten/Herdecke and spokesman for the information center for caries prevention. The antibacterial active ingredients in mouthwash solutions are good against bleeding gums, and thanks to the fluoride they contain, the tooth surface becomes more resistant to acids.
But that doesn’t mean that you can skip other dental care steps. Mouthwash solutions do not replace the toothbrush. What is also part of daily oral hygiene: a fluoride toothpaste and tools for cleaning the spaces between the teeth, for example dental floss or interdental brushes.
But: “We know that these aids cause many people difficulties in handling and therefore often do not achieve their full benefit,” says Stefan Zimmer. In such cases, mouthwashes could be just as effective as dental floss.
Mouthwashes are particularly recommended for people who, for motor or medical reasons, can no longer work thoroughly and reliably with a toothbrush or interdental brush, and also for people with an increased risk of tooth decay. “Mouthwashes are also essential for teenagers with fixed braces,” says Lea Lukas from Stiftung Warentest.
How are mouthwashes used?
Using mouthwash solutions is easy. The mouth should be rinsed for 30 seconds with the amount stated on the packaging – often ten milliliters.
It’s all about the right technique: “Many people think it would be good to gargle with mouthwash, but that doesn’t help much,” explains Stefan Zimmer. Instead of working on the throat, the solution should work on the teeth, which is why you should move it back and forth in the mouth. “You should also try to squeeze the solution between your teeth so that it can work in the spaces between the teeth,” says the dentist.
Then: spit out thoroughly. “It is very important not to swallow the product. “But you shouldn’t rinse with water after spitting out,” says Lea Lukas. Depending on your needs, the experts recommend using mouthwash solutions once or twice a day.
What should you pay attention to when buying?
The sharper, the more effective? The taste has no influence on the effectiveness of the mouthwash.
If you want to protect yourself from tooth decay, you should make sure that it contains fluoride. “The more fluoride there is, the better the effect against tooth decay,” says Stefan Zimmer. On average, the fluoride concentration is between 200 and 500 ppm. But people with a high risk of tooth decay could also use higher doses of mouthwash, says the expert.
If you want to do something about bleeding gums, you should pay attention to antibacterial ingredients. These could be chlorhexidine, zinc, cetylpyridinium chloride or essential oils.
Certain groups of people such as pregnant women, alcoholics, children and teenagers should urgently ensure that the mouthwash solution does not contain alcohol, advises Lea Lukas.
And in the end, apart from the ingredients, the taste also plays a role. “You can definitely make sure to choose a mouthwash solution that you find pleasant in terms of taste and spiciness so that you can use it reliably,” says Lukas.
At what age can children use mouthwash?
Children should only use mouthwashes – and always non-alcoholic ones – from around the age of six. That is, when they can spit out safely. Then the solutions could become real helpers, because “children and teenagers are sometimes rather careless when brushing their teeth,” says Stefan Zimmer.
Lea Lukas believes that it really makes sense to use mouthwash solutions from the time your baby teeth start to fall out and the first permanent teeth grow back. “Parents are then welcome to offer mouthwash solutions as a supplement. “But the products are not a replacement for thorough tooth brushing,” says Lea Lukas.
Can mouthwashes harm?
Some antibacterial substances and essential oils can cause surface discoloration of teeth. However, these can be removed with the help of professional teeth cleaning, says Lea Lukas.
And what about the suspicion that there could be a connection between mouthwash and the occurrence of cancer, which was widely reported last summer? The reason for this was a study by the Medical Faculty in Antwerp, which was published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.
The research team was able to detect a change in the bacterial composition in the mouth of 59 test subjects who used a specific mouthwash over a period of three months. A bacterium that is associated with stomach or esophageal cancer became more common. “We have discussed this study with experts and consider it to be of little significance,” says Lea Lukas.
However, the alcohol contained in some mouthwash solutions could become a problem. It is converted into acetaldehyde in the body, as Stefan Zimmer explains. This is a substance that is considered to be carcinogenic. But: “The contact time with a mouthwash solution is very short, so the concentration of acetaldehyde in the body is relatively low,” is the expert’s assessment.
There is therefore no risk to health simply from using alcohol-containing mouthwash solutions. “In combination with other risk factors such as poor oral hygiene, alcohol or cigarette consumption, the mouthwash solution can slightly increase the risk of cancer,” says Stefan Zimmer. He therefore recommends using mouthwashes without alcohol if possible.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
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