Go Ahead and Gargle
17 Oct 2010, The Sunday Times, Lifestyle
Mouthwash can fight everything from cavities to tartar to plaque – or can it? Last month, the United States Food and Drug Administration ordered three companies to stop making unproven claims in three mouthwash products. The products – Listerine Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash from Johnson & Johnson, CVS Complete Care Anticavity Mouthwash from (CVS) and Walgreen Mouth Rinse Full Action (from Walgreen) – contain the ingredient sodium fluoride.
The American agency noted that while sodium fluoride is effective in preventing cavities, there is no evidence that it can remove plaque or prevent gum disease. While these mouthwashes are not available in Singapore, a check at pharmacies here spits out about 20 kinds. Prices range from $2.95 for a 400ml bottle of Herbal Green Tea mouthwash to $5.95 for a 500ml bottle of Colgate Plax Sensitive. Some even come in citrus and peach flavours.
Active ingredients in mouthwash include sodium fluoride, which helps fight cavities and strengthen enamel surfaces. Another ingredient is chlorhexidine, which helps inhibit gum disease but can cause staining with prolonged use. Among the claims made by mouthwash products here are: “significantly reduces plaque”, “kills germs that cause gingivitis” and “prevent tartar to keep teeth naturally white”.
Dentists tell Lifestyle that mouthwash is a useful adjunct to oral hygiene but I canoot replace regular brushing and flossing. “This is due to the sticky nature of plaque being largely impenetrable by most solvents, hence it needs to be gently and mechanically cleaned off,” says Dr Rachel Chan, a dental surgeon at Raffles Dental.
Plaque is a colourless film that is formed on the teeth by bacteria and can lead to tooth decay. Dr Chan notes that she knows of only a few dentists who gargle regularly with mouthwash, although more than half of her patients do.
The National Dental Centre of Singapore’s senior consultant, Dr Marianne Ong, says: “If one is able to brush and floss effectively, a mouthwash is not an absolute essential.” But consumers such as cadet pilot Philip Tnee, 27, see using mouthwash as a long-term investment for oral health. “My teeth definitely feel cleaner and smoother,” says Mr Tnee who gargles twice a day.
For master’s student Joanna Lee, 30, her habit has been to swirl the liquid up to two times a day for the last five years. “I use it as a complement in keeping my teeth and gums clean as I feel that brushing my teeth only makes them so only about 90 percent of the time. Sometimes, I use it on its own because I’m too lazy to brush my teeth,” she says.
Dr Kelvin Chye of Victoria Dentalcare has even come across a 28-year-old man who had not brushed his teeth in two years. “He explained that he was too lazy and depended only on mouthrinses. I advised him that if he feels lazy, he can try using an electronic toothbrush,” says Dr Chye.
If you are in doubt about what mouthwash to use, consult your dentist, advises Dr Philip Goh, president of the Singapore Dental Association. Dr Chan recommends going for a product with no alcohol content. She cited a 2008 review published in the Australian Dental Journal which found that the ethanol in mouthwashes is though to allow cancer-causing substances to penetrate the lining of the mouth more easily.
Lifestye’s check of about 20 mouthwash varieties in pharmacies here reveals that seven of them do not contain alcohol. Ultimately, nothing gives more bite than a regular oral-hygiene regimen. Dr Goh advises: “Brush twice daily, floss twice daily and go for regular dental visits, preferably every six months."
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