Mouthwash questions

  1. 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?

  2. 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?

  3. 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. :wink:

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.