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What is the practical difference between an alcohol-free mouthwash and one without alcohol? My hygienist said that I should use an alcohol-free mouthwash because alcohol will dry my mouth out. Why is a dry mouth a problem? Are alcohol-free mouthwashes as effective at protecting teeth and gums as their alcolicious counterparts?
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Instructions on my Listerine (a brand that contains all that yummy alcohol) say ‘Do not swig from bottle’. I always swig because I am too lazy to measure out the correct amount into the cap twice a day. Why is swigging such a danger that ‘do not’ has to be written in bold type?
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Is there really any discernable difference between the big brands and generics that I need to worry about? I’m no brand whore, it’s just that I am a bit fussy with mouthwash because I’m paranoid about my teeth. I’d rather save the money and get the supermarket own-brand if I knew it would do at least a reasonable job. I mean, it’s not like Listerine have patents on mouthwash technologies that excuse charging twice as much per bottle, is there?
We’re using the alcohol-free Crest these days. I’m sure it has the same ingredients as the other alcohol-free ones, but Mr. K likes the taste so that’s what we buy.
The swigging thing…I think that’s a little safeguard so you don’t swallow it accidentally and become one of THOSE kind of people. You know…eyeing the antifreeze will be next.
I always use mouthwash with the ADA (American Dental Association) lable on it. Don’t know if it contains alcohol but I’m pretty sure it does.
I use the Crest, but my taste buds are killed for half a day after using it. I don’t know if that’s true of others, but I can’t taste anything.
I use Chlorhexidine Gluconate (0.12%), which my periodontist prescribes for me. It kills *everything *in your mouth that shouldn’t be there, and doesn’t have a disgusting taste. And I also add a little when I use the WaterPik, so it gets under the gum line.
They’re the same. Did you mean one with alcohol?
In a word, backwash. Germs from your mouth will get into the mouthwash. They would likely be killed by it, but this ‘contamination’ could lead to off-taste flavors in the mouthwash. Especially if you have a big bottle, that you’ll be using for weeks.