What is the Ideal Mouthwash?
The 4 Keys to the Best Mouthwash for Daily Use
- Alkaline pH & the absence of chelating agents – so there is no potential for acid erosion.
- Fluoride – to help maintain fluoride availability at the surface of teeth through daily use.
- Low Staining Capacity – Even though staining usually isn’t unhealthy, white teeth (not “toilet bowl white”) are more representative of health so we don’t want to use a daily mouthwash that is going to increase tooth staining.
- Probiotic Factors – This is a new and growing area of preventive dentistry, which we are going to talk a lot about in the future. Probiotics are ingredients that either specifically fight bad bacteria or enhance the growth of healthy bacteria. Interestingly, an alkaline pH, as we mentioned above, has probiotic effects since it creates environmental pressures that limit the growth of acid producing bacteria and promotes the growth of good oral bacteria.
The ideal daily mouthwash needs to support and maintain oral health. Next week we are going to share with you the top three mouthwashes according to these principles so stay tuned.
