Mouthwash question?!


Question: I'm just curious how many people out there use mouthwash after they brush? And what's the difference between Listerine and ACT, the stuff that's supposedly supported by dentists?


Answers: I'm just curious how many people out there use mouthwash after they brush? And what's the difference between Listerine and ACT, the stuff that's supposedly supported by dentists?

Listerine (or Crest ProHealth, or any number of other such rinses) are designed to kill the bacteria in your mouth. Bacteria are responsible for bad breath, gum disease, and cavities. Listerine does burn a bit at first (it contains alcohol) but some newer rinses don't burn at all. Some mouthwashes don't really do anything but make your breath smell better, which really doesn't do anything at all long term.

ACT is a fluoride rinse. Fluoride rinses don't kill bacteria. They serve to remineralize your teeth. Bacteria produce plaque and acids that cause the minerals in your teeth to dissolve. If this happens long enough, you get cavities. Fluoride rinses replace the minerals that are washed out, in a way reversing the damage. Fluoride can only remineralize the surfaces it reaches, though, so it's not a replacement for brushing and flossing...and once the surface of your tooth breaks down enough to have an actual cavity form, fluoride can't rebuild that surface and you'll need a filling.

Personally? I brush in the morning and use a mouthwash. I brush after lunch. At night time, I brush and floss, then rinse with fluoride and go to bed.

Well I rinse with flouride at nighttime, daytime I get minty tooth gum like Trident and chew it after I brush. Listerine burns the crap out of your mouth and ACT doesn't burn your mouth. I use Colgate Flouride.

Call your oral surgeon and ask him to be sure. I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to brush this soon after the surgery because you can accidentally remove the blood clots that are forming and cause bleeding or a condition called "dry socket" which is very painful. Try gargling with some salt water which will kill bacteria and drink some minty flavored tea. You could try just using your tooth brush to brush your tongue. That is where a lot of bacteria build up which can cause bad breath. I can't believe your oral surgeon didn't send you home with some papers that would answer some of these questions for you.

Listerine works great for me. But it works for lots of other purposes besides mouthwash, which makes it a real value. I even still use the original, amber-colored version. I don't know about ACT.

listerine is probably stronger and kills more germs.
most folks now get the listerine melts...strips u melt in mouth

I use the Crest pro-health mouthwash...it's alcohol free so it doesn't burn at all. My gums are easily irritated and I've found that I can use the pro-health without a problem.





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