Nearly every US bathroom has the same things sitting on the sink each morning. It is common to expect toothpaste, toothbrushes, and, of course, mouthwash. Of all oral health care products, perhaps the most heavily marketed of the bunch is this last one. While we do see advertisements for toothpaste, it is far more common to see the litany of mouthwash ads that run nearly all the time. Listerine, for instance, has existed as a mouthwash, almost unchanged, for nearly a century, yet is advertised as if it were an all-new product. This over-marketing, amid other things, will be examined as we ask: Is mouthwash actually necessary?
FDA says “No.”
This may be a bit of an exaggeration, as the Food & Drug Administration has not actually prohibited mouthwash in anyway. Yet, in response to the mouthwash industry’s own widespread exaggerated claims, the FDA has issued warning letters to three major mouthwash producers. The FDA grants that the sodium fluoride found in their products helps to prevent cavities, but has not been shown to remove plaque or fight gum disease as these products have claimed. Even still, it is common to see advertisements showing mouthwash as a powerful force in preserving oral health, often characterized by dramatizations, such as a powerful wave or tiny liquid warriors.
Brushing is king
No mouthwash claims to be a substitute for brushing, and with good reason. Mouthwash is supposed to be a supplementary, optional product. Yet, the way that it is marketed is often geared toward being a much more necessary household product. Considering that the only active ingredient that the FDA grants mouthwash companies to make claims upon is sodium fluoride, the same ingredient found in toothpaste, the necessity of mouthwash is heavily debatable.
Should you even use mouthwash?
Since the benefits of mouthwash are shared and eclipsed by proper brushing with fluoride toothpaste, it seems like a supplementary, but beneficial, product. Yet, this is not exactly true either. Most mouthwashes contain alcohol, which is known to cause dehydration. If alcoholic mouthwashes dry out your mouth, that actually causes its own host of problems when you consider that dry mouth can lead to increased risk of gum disease, tooth decay, bad breath, and more. That’s right, mouthwash can actually cause the things it claims to treat.
Your proven oral health options
While we won’t say definitively at this point that mouthwash is an evil, abhorable product, it certainly doesn’t seem to be all it is marketed to be. Any oral health recommendations you take seriously should come from your family dentist, not a TV ad. This is why we at Bitterroot Dental find it important to ensure that supplementary oral health products are never viewed as a replacement for proper brushing and regular dental visits. In Missoula, that means visiting Dr. David B. Duke. As a local dentist, he is eager to improve the oral health of the community with the latest dental information and techniques.
