Toluca Lake Dentist Talks About The Benefits And Potential Uses of Mouth Rinse

Written by Dr. McKay on Jul 29, 2014

Our Toluca Lake dentist office is here to help you develop a daily oral hygiene routine that will help you keep plaque and tartar at bay until your next professional dental cleaning. Optimal daily oral hygiene routines vary slightly from person to person. For example, some patients benefit from mouth rinse, while others do not. Keep reading to learn more about the intricacies of mouth rinse.


Mouth rinse is generally used as the last step in a patient’s daily oral hygiene routine. So after the patient flosses and brushes, he or she then swishes with a mouth rinse.


Rinsing with a mouthwash is a great oral hygiene final step because it physically removes loose plaque and dental debris that are left in the mouth. Swish the rinse vigorously in your mouth for a full minute in order to clear away as much leftover bacteria as possible.


Now, obviously you could just rinse your mouth with water after flossing and brushing in order to dislodge dental material. 


However, mouth rinse provides added benefits, such as:


· Bacteria killing ingredients, which help to neutralize hard-to-reach plaque


· An extra does of fluoride, which works to help re-mineralize dental enamel


· Breath freshening ingredients to neutralize odors


Your dentist will be able to help you decide what type of mouth rinse is right for you. Some patients, for example, have trouble dealing with the alcohol that is present in many over the counter mouthwash formulations. Other people require a higher strength, dentist-prescribed fluoride mouth rinse in order to combat dental decay.


Talk to your dentist about whether you should be incorporating a mouth rinse into your daily oral hygiene routine. Our Toluca Lake dentist office is here to help you make these important dental decisions. Please feel free to call our friendly dental team to make an appointment.