As part of taking care of your teeth, some people turn to mouth washes. But the picture is not that clear as to how beneficial they actually are. If you want some answers about mouth washes and whether they are the best choice for you then you should read on.
Mouth washes are clinically formulated substances designed to be swilled around your mouth after brushing and then gargled with. They usually have bacteria killing properties and are available in a variety of flavours so that your breath will take on certain aromas after use.
The problem with the fact that they kill bacteria is that not all bacteria in your mouth is actually bad. Some of it is highly beneficial to the way that your mouth works. Mouth washes are unable to discriminate and they just kill all of it, leaving you lacking the good bacteria that has to be formed all over again.
Further, particularly mouth washes containing alcohol can actually create ideal conditions for plaque to flourish. These mouth washes make the mouth rather dry and then plaque can stick to teeth far easier than they would normally be able to. Increasingly alcohol mouth washes are becoming rather rare but mouth washes generally have this tendency.
Sometimes your dentist might advise that you use a certain type of formulated mouth wash as part of the treatment of gingivitis but this should be done sparingly for the above reasons. It would be an irony indeed if by using mouth wash you actually created conditions ideal for plaque to thrive and cause further gum disease!
Whether you use mouth washes is your choice and they can be effective at freshening breath in the short term but you should talk to your Leeds dentist for more expert information.