Mouthwashes leave freshness to your breath and help clean food debris from your teeth. But some mouthwashes can do even more than that. Learn about the different types of mouthwashes and decide which one is for you.
Therapeutic and Cosmetic Mouthwashes
These are the two main types of mouthwashes, each having different benefits.
- Therapeutic: This kind does the best at helping to improve overall dental health. It reduces plaque, gingivitis, and cavities while also killing the bacteria that produces bad breath. Some therapeutic mouthwashes have fluoride in them to help strengthen teeth.
- Cosmetic: This kind of mouthwash only really helps with bad breath. It does this by masking bad breath rather than killing the bacteria that creates it. Despite this, a cosmetic mouthwash can leave a nice taste in your mouth and some types contain whitening agents.
Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Mouthwashes
Once you chose between a therapeutic and cosmetic mouthwash, then you need to choose one with alcohol or without.
- Alcohol: Having alcohol in your mouthwash kills bacteria, which can improve oral health. However, alcohol also increases the risk of oral cancer. Despite this, studies have neither proved nor disproved that the alcohol specifically in mouthwashes can cause oral cancer.
- Non-Alcoholic: This kind has been found to help oral health and combat bad breath just as effectively as mouthwashes containing alcohol.