Mouth Rinses
The more you understand your body and how it
functions, the better equipped you'll be at taking care
of yourself to achieve optimal health. We've included
the Patient Education section on our website to provide
you with valuable, practical wellness information which
you can incorporate into your lifestyle to improve the
quality of your life. We hope you will turn to these
pages whenever you have a question about health related
issues and urge you to contact our practice at any time
to make an appointment
with one of our doctors.
The Food and Drug Administration classifies mouth rinses into two categories - therapeutic and cosmetic. In general, therapeutic rinses with fluoride have been shown to actually fight cavities, plaque and gingivitis.
On the other hand, cosmetic rinses merely treat breath odor, reduce bacteria and/or remove food particles in the mouth. They do nothing to treat or prevent gingivitis.
People who have difficulty brushing (because of physical difficulties such as arthritis) can benefit from a good therapeutic mouth rinse.
Caution: Even rinses that are indicated to treat plaque or cavities are only moderately effective. In fact, regular rinsing with water and use of good quality fluoride toothpaste are just as or more effective.