On your shopping list when you visit the super market or the corner store will probably be tooth paste containing fluoride, a new tooth brush if your current one is not fit for purpose and some dental floss. But many people wonder about whether to pick up some mouth wash too. The adverts tell us that mouth wash kills bacteria and freshens breath but is it worth our while to use it?
Mouth wash does indeed kill bacteria in the mouth, indeed some boast of being able to kill ninety nine point nine per cent of all bacteria. But that is part of the problem. Not all bacteria in the mouth is bad for you and mouth wash is unable to discriminate; it kills the good bacteria and the bad bacteria.
Mouth wash is able to freshen your breath by killing the bad bacteria and freshening breath by implanting a flavour in the mouth, mint or cloves for example. But this can be a further problem. Mouth wash actually makes the mouth rather dry and this is the ideal condition in which bad breath bacteria can thrive. When the teeth and tongue are dry, it is far easier for bad bacteria to stick to teeth. In short, you could be making your mouth into the ideal playground for bad breath bacteria by using mouth wash. It’s no wonder then that some people like to chew gum after using mouth wash because it stimulates saliva production and makes the mouth more moist.
Sometimes your Leeds dentist will advise you to actually use mouth wash, especially if you are suffering from gum disease. There are specially formulated mouth washes available for this purpose and you should always follow your dentist’s advice but they will probably tell you not to use it too often.
Tags: bacteria, flouride tooth paste, mouth wash
