You must have heard the news – oral health is related to heart health! And gum disease is related to an increased risk of heart disease.
When you have poor dental health, it increases the likelihood of bacterial infection in your blood vessels, and this can affect your heart valves.
Now that we’ve got your attention, let’s talk about the benefits of mouthwash in relationship to this. Read on to see 7 ways mouthwash benefits oral health as a whole.
1. Get Fresh Breath
You might not care much about having fresh breath, especially if you work from home or aren’t in a relationship currently. But bad breath is an indicator of a much deeper problem.
The reason you have bad breath isn’t that you ate some garlic or onions (or both). It’s because there are millions of bacteria making their home in your mouth and creating all sorts of negative reactions.
Using mouthwash twice a day can help reduce these bacteria in your mouth, and thus, help you achieve that fresh minty breath that everyone aspires towards.
It’s good preparation for when you do go out or meet that special someone.
2. Reduce Canker Sores
Did you know that mouthwash can reduce or help clear up canker sores?
Canker sores are mouth ulcers that develop on the inside of your mouth for a variety of reasons, like an accidental cheek bite, a sports injury, overzealous brushing, or a minor injury to your mouth from dental work.
You could also be getting these due to hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, stress, eating certain foods, and more.
Regular mouthwash usage can help clear up canker sores, but if it doesn’t work, then you will need to go to your doctor or dentist for a more detailed overview.
3. Reduce Plaque
The dreaded ‘P’ word. No one wants to hear this word when they go to their dentist for a cleanup, right?
Well, you can reduce the prevalence of plaque in your mouth by using mouthwash daily. This is why we use mouthwash for gum health.
Do you know that fuzzy feeling on your teeth? That’s plaque. It also manifests itself as bad breath or bleeding gums. Plaque usually happens in your mouth when you eat starchy or sugary foods.
The bacteria in your mouth produce acids when you eat these foods that mix in with the carbohydrates into a sticky, colorless film called plaque.
4. Prevent Cavities From Growing
If your mouthwash has fluoride in it (check this when you buy yours, as most don’t), it can also help prevent cavities. Is there anything mouthwash can’t do?
Cavities, if you didn’t know, are permanent damages to the hard surfaces of your teeth. They develop into tiny openings or holes.
These are caused due to improper cleaning, frequent snacking, and eating too many sugary snacks, and drinks.
Regular mouthwash usage will prevent more cavities from showing up and prevent old cavities from becoming worse. But you also need to ensure that you clean your mouth properly after eating sugary snacks and drinks.
5. Remove Particles From Your Gum And Teeth
The main reason you have bad breath or plaque or cavities is that you have food particles leftover on your teeth, gums, and in your mouth, after eating.
These particles are then worked upon by the bacteria in your mouth that are ever-present, and they create acids that ruin your teeth. In an ideal world, we would all brush our teeth after eating anything and everything.
But most people are too busy to be thinking about gum health during their busy workdays. That’s where the benefits of mouthwash come in.
If you can’t brush your teeth, at least you can rinse your mouth with mouthwash after each meal. This would remove leftover food particles from your mouth and protect your teeth and gums from disease.
6. Help With Receding Gums
Even though some people are genetically more prone to gum disease than others, it’s actually a form of gum disease. There are many reasons for it.
- Excessive and aggressive brushing
- Tartar (hardened plaque)
- Smoking
- Hormonal changes
- Diabetes
- HIV
Some of these reasons you can control. Some others you can’t. But you can ensure you reduce the receding of your gums by using mouthwash twice daily.
Receding gums are easily visible, as the gums start moving away from the gum line and start shrinking. Once you start using mouthwash, you will be able to see if it’s helping your gum health.
If not, it’s a good idea to consult a dentist that specializes in gum disease treatment sooner rather than later.
7. Helps Prevent Tooth Decay
The hard white surface of your teeth isn’t just so you can give that 100-dollar smile to the cute barista in your coffee shop.
It’s called enamel, and it’s necessary so you can bite into the hard surfaces of food, break them down, and consume them for health and nutrients.
When you don’t take care of your teeth, eating too many sugary foods, or not cleaning your teeth properly, the bacteria in your mouth start breaking down this enamel. You can prevent this through the use of mouthwash.
This is crucial because even though you might not care about it right now, having strong, healthy teeth that you can use even into your 80s will matter quite a bit as you get older.
Use that mouthwash as if your life depends on it because it does.
The Benefits Of Mouthwash Are Many
As seen above, the benefits of mouthwash are nothing to smile at. A mouthwash or rinse completes your healthy teeth and gum toolkit, along with a good brushing routine, and a solid toothpaste.
They form a formidable army that can fight the battle against bacteria every single day, so you can have a healthy smile well into your 80s and 90s.
Interested in upping your gum health? Check out the dental services offered by Littleton Implant & Periodontics.