“Can using mouthwash frequently negatively impact the health of my teeth?”
I had a recent dentist appointment and he advised me to not use mouthwash more than once a week. Currently, I am using mouthwash about twice a day. Could frequent use of mouthwash really harm my teeth? What is the reason?
18 Answers
The answer to this question depends on the mouthwash you're using and it's ingredients. Typical, big-brand, mouthwashes like Scope and Listerine contain ingredients that dry your mouth and harm the oral microbiome in your mouth.
What's a microbiome?
Great question...
Your oral microbiome is composed of all the bacteria in your mouth. Some are good, some are bad, and some are REALLY bad. There's a balance between all the components of the microbiome and, generally, if the environment in your mouth favours success and proliferation of the good stuff, it will be at the expense of the harmful stuff. The opposite is also true.
So, if you leave dental plaque and sugar/carbohydrate on your teeth for extended periods, bad bacteria will feast on it and proliferate. These bacteria also produce acids that harm your teeth.
Now, getting back to the question, typical Scope and Listerine mouthwashes are fairly aggressive and harsh on all types of bacteria in your mouth. These mouthrinses harm the bad stuff but they're also detrimental to populations of beneficial bacteria, too. And, generally, it's harder to rebuild the good stuff once it's gone.
You may want to do a bit of research about types of mouthwash out there. Risewell offers a good one that will help your oral health while maintaining good bacteria you've worked hard to build up inside your mouth (https://risewell.com/products/balancing-mouthwash).
Hope this answer is helpful to you!
What's a microbiome?
Great question...
Your oral microbiome is composed of all the bacteria in your mouth. Some are good, some are bad, and some are REALLY bad. There's a balance between all the components of the microbiome and, generally, if the environment in your mouth favours success and proliferation of the good stuff, it will be at the expense of the harmful stuff. The opposite is also true.
So, if you leave dental plaque and sugar/carbohydrate on your teeth for extended periods, bad bacteria will feast on it and proliferate. These bacteria also produce acids that harm your teeth.
Now, getting back to the question, typical Scope and Listerine mouthwashes are fairly aggressive and harsh on all types of bacteria in your mouth. These mouthrinses harm the bad stuff but they're also detrimental to populations of beneficial bacteria, too. And, generally, it's harder to rebuild the good stuff once it's gone.
You may want to do a bit of research about types of mouthwash out there. Risewell offers a good one that will help your oral health while maintaining good bacteria you've worked hard to build up inside your mouth (https://risewell.com/products/balancing-mouthwash).
Hope this answer is helpful to you!
No, it can't, but it has alcohol and can dry your mouth. You only need it once in 24 hours. If you are concerned about the health of your teeth and gum, invest in a waterpik. You can use it multiple times a day and will be better for removing plaque.
MOUTHWASHES can be strong. Your mouth tissues are delicate. Some mouthwashes. even those harsh ones can have bacteria growing in the liquid. The purpose of cleaning your teeth is to remove placque and food around the necks of your teeth and other tooth surfaces. Just using a a mouthwash and rinsing your mouth is not getting the job done. You think that burning you
feel has to destroy everything. but the only thing that you are doing is irritating your mouth tissues. Your doctor probably looked at your mouth tissues, by his advice, probably saw your tissues needed rest. Mouth care must be done
every day. Flossing, brushing with a soft toothbrush, cleaning your tongue and rinsing with warm salt water finishes the job. There are
appliances that you can wear for 10-15 minutes
morning and night. These are trays, a special medication is placed at the bottom of each tray.
The upper and lower tray are one piece and are
warn together. These trays are used as an added treatment to prevent or treat gum disease. For those concerned about mouth odor, frequent use of mouthwashes to mask odor, sometimes worsens the problem. Changing your home care routine, using salt water rinses will heal those irritated tissues.
You will feel the difference.
feel has to destroy everything. but the only thing that you are doing is irritating your mouth tissues. Your doctor probably looked at your mouth tissues, by his advice, probably saw your tissues needed rest. Mouth care must be done
every day. Flossing, brushing with a soft toothbrush, cleaning your tongue and rinsing with warm salt water finishes the job. There are
appliances that you can wear for 10-15 minutes
morning and night. These are trays, a special medication is placed at the bottom of each tray.
The upper and lower tray are one piece and are
warn together. These trays are used as an added treatment to prevent or treat gum disease. For those concerned about mouth odor, frequent use of mouthwashes to mask odor, sometimes worsens the problem. Changing your home care routine, using salt water rinses will heal those irritated tissues.
You will feel the difference.
Many mouth washes contain alcohol. Alcohol is drying. Gums should be wet. Rinsing does not replace brush and floss. A non alcohol rinse should not be damaging, as long as it is not replacing plaque removal.
Mouthwash shouldn't have much affect on the teeth; however depending upon the makeup of the rinse it could have an affect on the gums. More important than mouthwash is flossing.
I don’t believe so. However, a rinse like peridex or chlorhexidine can stain teeth
Mouthwashes are generally useless and a waste of money. Many contain alcohol, which is not good for the oral mucosa. If your breath is bad, it most likely means that you may be overdue for a cleaning.
If the mouthwash is accepted by American Dental Associacion, it is save to use it. I would also suggest to avoid mouthwash containing alcohol for it can dry off the lining of your mouth.
If it has alcohol in it then yes. But alcohol free mouthwash. Really mouthwash does very little in terms of cleaning your teeth and it does not replace brushing and flossing
Mouthwash is useless except to make your breath smell nice. The alcohol in mouthwash could hurt the gum tissues and one study said that mouthwash is bad because it kills good bacteria as well as bad bacteria in your mouth. Mouthwash only kills the bacteria you can reach with your toothbrush; I would rather brush my teeth and spit out the germs than rinse with mouthwash and have a bunch of dead germs in my mouth. Save your money. Don't use it at all.
I have no vested interest in any mouthwash companies, and I personally recommend the use of Act mouthrinse once per day.
Frequent use could be damaging to the oral health by killing off the normal oral bacteria. Also, mouth rinses containing alcohol can lead to dry mouth high can have secondary and tertiary effects. I promote the use of mouthrinse, but I do recommend to use it sparingly.
Frequent use could be damaging to the oral health by killing off the normal oral bacteria. Also, mouth rinses containing alcohol can lead to dry mouth high can have secondary and tertiary effects. I promote the use of mouthrinse, but I do recommend to use it sparingly.
Too much of anything is not good.
You'll notice a label on mouth rinse that has the American Dental Association logo which means there are recommended instructions for use and the caution not to overuse mouth rinses or any topical medication for the mouth itself. Adherence to these guidelines is for a long history of accurate research to protect the public against untoward circumstances. Read your label follow the instructions and you'll be protected by the insurance that clinicians have very thoroughly researched and developed this product to your better dental health
Using mouthwashes frequently impacts negatively on the health of your oral cavity because these mouthwashes mostly contain the rinses of alcohol giving a number of health risks. This is precisely the major reason why your dentist recommends that you shouldn't make use of a mouthwash more than once a week.
An excessive amount of anything is not good. To your question, using an over the counter mouth wash 2x a day is not a problem. Some mouthwashes can dry your mouth out (i.e., high alcohol containing mouthwashes, Listerine) and some prescription mouth washes can stain your teeth. However, generally speaking, if you are using a store bought mouthwash, make sure to look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance. This means the product has been thoroughly tested, is safe, and does what it claims to do. For more dental information, www.leadingdentalsolutions.com.
I hope this helps.
Happy Holidays,
David M. Kaffey, DDS
I hope this helps.
Happy Holidays,
David M. Kaffey, DDS
I would go with once a day if you do not have active periodontal or gum disease the mouthwash with alcohol tend to cause dryness of gums if used very frequently in active gum disease you should use chlorhexidine mouthwash which is only available with prescription and can discuss with your dentist thanks
Nothing should be overdone. It is best to use an alcohol free amd peroxide-free mouthwash that has fluoride twice per day.
Depending on the type of mouthwash. Most mouthwashes that have fluoride will help prevent cavities, therefore it is better that you rinse with it than not. If you suffer from dry mouth, it is best to not rinse with rinses that contain alcohol as this can worsen the dry mouth. Mouth rinses overall are good for you to prevent decay or gum disease.
