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Can mouthwash be bad for your oral health?
Because of the importance placed on good dental hygiene most people spend quite a significant amount of time on keeping their mouth clean. Most people have a process which they carry out twice daily which consists of brushing, flossing and finally rinsing with mouthwash to absolutely clear out any plaque and bacteria. People do this so that their breath always smells nice and so that their teeth maintain their white finish. Recently however it has been suggested that mouthwash could actually be doing more harm than good.
A lot of different ingredients go into mouthwash but one of the main ingredients in most of them is alcohol. Alcohol works together with various other mouthwash ingredients and without each other they would be effective. This makes the alcohol a carrier-agent for things like menthol and eucalyptol which are vital to breaking down the plaque and bacteria which builds up on and around teeth.
Alcohol is important in mouthwash so that the ingredients like eucalyptol and menthol can work but it also has negative effects as well. Alcohol breaks down the mucus or saliva which keeps the mouth moist and fresh. Without this the mouth begins to dry out like when a person is dehydrated and the person can then develop bad breath.
Mouthwash has had a lot of research done on it and it has also been suggested that mouthwash can also increase the risk of oral cancer. Various harmful substances when coupled with the mouthwash ingredient ethanol become much more dangerous as they can penetrate the wall of the mouth much more easily. This means that the people who use these substances area at a far greater risk.
It is unlikely that these issues will remain with mouthwash if they really are a significant threat as it would not be allowed. Despite this it is still advisable for people to seen a mouthwash that is either alcohol free or at least very low in alcohol. Smokers should also discuss the risks with their dentist to find out if there is an alternative product which they should use instead.
A lot of different ingredients go into mouthwash but one of the main ingredients in most of them is alcohol. Alcohol works together with various other mouthwash ingredients and without each other they would be effective. This makes the alcohol a carrier-agent for things like menthol and eucalyptol which are vital to breaking down the plaque and bacteria which builds up on and around teeth.
Alcohol is important in mouthwash so that the ingredients like eucalyptol and menthol can work but it also has negative effects as well. Alcohol breaks down the mucus or saliva which keeps the mouth moist and fresh. Without this the mouth begins to dry out like when a person is dehydrated and the person can then develop bad breath.
Mouthwash has had a lot of research done on it and it has also been suggested that mouthwash can also increase the risk of oral cancer. Various harmful substances when coupled with the mouthwash ingredient ethanol become much more dangerous as they can penetrate the wall of the mouth much more easily. This means that the people who use these substances area at a far greater risk.
It is unlikely that these issues will remain with mouthwash if they really are a significant threat as it would not be allowed. Despite this it is still advisable for people to seen a mouthwash that is either alcohol free or at least very low in alcohol. Smokers should also discuss the risks with their dentist to find out if there is an alternative product which they should use instead.
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