Mouth rinses are a multi-billion dollar industry. But do they have any value?
They advertise that they kill bacteria and that’s a good thing, right? We are taught that bacteria are harmful. But wait. That’s not entirely accurate. There are good bacteria and bad bacteria. We have evolved on this planet with bacteria inside and outside our bodies. We have them throughout our digestive tract, from the mouth to the colon. We could not live without them, we could not digest food, and we would bleed to death.
We need bacteria in our mouth to prevent the overgrowth of other organisms like viruses and fungi. So it’s not about eliminating bacteria, just controlling the types and numbers.
Also, to be an educated consumer you need to understand the difference between gingivitis and periodontitis. We all know that words that end in –itis are infections and are bad for us. However, gingivitis only means inflamed, bleeding gums. By definition, there is no loss of bone around the teeth. If you want to treat gingivitis, all you have to do is brush and floss regularly and properly.
Conversely, periodontitis implies the loss of bone around the teeth. It is not reversible. The bone that is lost due to this infection is, for the most part, gone forever. Eventually, if you lose enough bone supporting a tooth, you will lose the tooth.
To treat periodontitis often requires deep professional cleaning or even surgery. At that point, brushing and flossing and even rinses won’t help. It’s like closing the barn door after the horse is out. Brand name rinses advertise that they help treat gingivitis. They would never advertise that they treat periodontitis because the FDA wouldn’t allow them to. So you have to know the difference.
Again, if you want to prevent gingivitis, proper brushing and flossing will do this. If you want to use mouthwash as well, that’s fine. Just don’t use it in place of effective brushing and flossing.