Which dental mouthwash is the right one for me?

When you go to Boots or Superdrug there are an overwhelming number of mouthwashes on the shelves. It can be rather confusing. We at Burneston Dental in Guildford thought we would try and shed some light on the topic.

Mouthwashes can generally be divided into 2 main groups:

1. Cosmetic mouthwashes
2. Therapeutic mouthwashes

Cosmetic mouthwashes leave your mouth and breath nice and fresh but they don’t always fight the bugs in your mouth. These mouthwashes usually only mask the symptoms such as bad breath instead of removing the bugs that cause the bad breath. It is important to note that if the bad breath is not going away then there is an underlying issue, very likely some sort of dental disease. An appointment with us should ideally be made to find out the cause.

Therapeutic mouthwashes are ones that are prescribed to address certain conditions. Included in this group are the following:

• Fluoride Mouthwashes: These kind of mouthwashes generally contain about 0.05% of Sodium Fluoride (NaF). These mouthwashes are for those who are prone to decay. Fluorigard mouthwash is a good example.
• Anti-plaque Mouthwashes: These mouthwashes, such as Curasept, prevent the accumulation of plaque. They often contain the active ingredient of Chlorhexidine. They are used to help to treat or prevent gum disease. Very often these mouthwashes are prescribed while the patient is undergoing gum treatment.
• Desensitizing mouthwashes: These help reduce tooth sensitivity. They often contain a desensitizing agent such as Arginine. Colgate Pro-Relief Sensitive Mouthwashe is a good example.
• Medicated mouthwashes: These are prescribed to help with the treatment of conditions of the mouth such as Lichen Planus.

Then there are also so called Whitening Mouthwashes. We consider these to fall somewhere in-between cosmetic and therapeutic mouthwashes. Click here to find out more about whitening mouthwashes.

Wherever possible, we would recommend using a non-alcohol containing mouthwash as alcohol can be an irritant. Nowadays most brands come in non-alcohol versions.

Contact us today to make an appointment and find out how to achieve good dental health!