There’s no substitute for seeing your family dentist in Long Island on a regular basis. Having a professional with your dental records, that knows the ins and outs of your mouth, your teeth, and the work that’s been done on them is invaluable in keeping a good, quality record of your oral health, and maintaining it. However, seeing your dentist is something that only happens every six months, or maybe even only annually, depending on how you schedule it.
The rest of the year, you’re on your own when it comes taking care of your teeth and gums. So while many people try to maintain a regular regimen of brushing and flossing teeth, some people also take the added step of using mouthwash. But is mouthwash actually doing all that much for you?
Cosmetic Aids
The first and foremost function that mouthwash serves for most people is simply getting rid of bad breath. The most common store bought mouthwash products do this through the simple addition of alcohol, a powerful, anti-septic substance that takes a “scorched earth” approach to destroying any and all bacteria in your mouth. However, this type of breath freshening is largely cosmetic in function.
Yes, it may make your breath smell good, but the effects of this type of superficial mouth care usually only last a few hours and are largely absent by the time your next meal arrives. In other words, the more basic, retail products that label themselves as mouthwash really don’t do much of a job of actually washing your mouth. They merely hide bad breath, without necessarily addressing the cause.
Real Results
For people that are more serious about a mouthwash that does more than just eliminate smelly breath for a few hours, there are some real alternatives. Of course, these alternatives won’t be as cheap as what you’d find in a grocery store. Ask your family dentist in Long Island about which brands he or she recommends for a class known as anti-bacterial mouthwash.
This type of mouthwash is used both as a preventive measure and as part of a treatment process for people with gum disease or other mouth disorders. As the name implies, anti-bacterial mouthwash doesn’t just kill the germs that make breath smell bad, they attack the bacteria in the mouth that is breeding and causing the breath to smell bad.
More powerful and specific types of anti-bacterial mouthwash can also “target” specific types of bacteria in your mouth because not all of it is bad! Some bacteria is necessary not just for digestion but keeping certain protective layers intact for your mouth. Quality anti-bacterial mouthwash ignores this “good bacteria” and only goes after the harmful variations.
Ultimately proper toothbrush and flossing techniques, combined with regular visits to your family dentist in Long Island are the cornerstones of good tooth and gum health. With these parts of your oral care program firmly in place, how much or how you little your mouthwash does for you is up to your own budget and prefer-ences for the level of performance you want out of your mouthwash.
