Mouth wash and gum disease should be completely opposing forces. In other words, a mouth wash is supposed to kill off harmful bacteria in your mouth and thus help in the prevention of gum disease. After all, anaerobic bacteria truly cause gum disease by creating an infection in the gingival tissue. As tartar builds up on your teeth, the harmful bacteria population grows because normal oral hygiene cannot penetrate behind this hardened layer. Even saliva, which naturally prevents gum disease because it helps neutralize anaerobic bacteria, cannot penetrate behind tartar. However, before tartar forms on your teeth, it is first plaque and this thin film can be removed by simple oral hygiene, including the use of mouth wash.
So, if mouth wash can kill off anaerobic bacteria, why is it not very effective when it comes to preventing gum disease? In truth, some mouth wash products do in fact help prevent periodontal gum disease problems from developing-but not all! In order to understand this apparent mystery and know how to treat gum disease, you need to better understand the role of your saliva.
Saliva is constantly being produced in your mouth and one of its functions is to keep the mouth lubricated. However, where preventing gum disease is concerned, saliva is far more important. One of the principle components in human saliva is oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria do not thrive in well-oxygenated environments. It is for this very reason that harmful bacteria populations are naturally kept in check if your salivation rate is normal.
Saliva also helps prevent gum disease in another way: It is loaded with enzymes that help create antibodies which neutralize harmful bacteria. So, when the mouth if full of saliva, anaerobic populations tend to be low and will not cause gum disease. However, because saliva cannot penetrate behind plaque or tartar, it is only useful in preventing gum disease-not in treating it. Plaque must be removed by brushing or flossing and tartar cannot be eliminated without scraping the teeth with a specialized instrument.
Now you may be wondering what saliva has to do with the great mouth wash/gum disease mystery. Well, if your mouth wash has alcohol as the active ingredient, then it will cause dehydration-and ultimately dry mouth. While the mouth wash will momentarily help prevent gum disease by killing off a large amount of anaerobic bacteria-it may actually make the problem more likely if it causes dry mouth and you will not have proper salivation. Therefore, any mouth wash product made with alcohol will actually lead to an increased probability of developing gum disease because the harmful bacteria population will swell during periods of dry mouth. Even for something like bad breath or halitosis, mouth wash is a temporary and misleading solution that may make things worse in the long run.
In addition to mouth wash, other products or substances that can make gum disease prevention more difficult are:
- Alcohol
- Laxatives
- Dietary Supplements
- Caffeine
- Medications like antidepressants, pain killers, and high blood pressure pills
Now that the great mouth wash and gum disease mystery has been solved, just be sure to use products made from all natural ingredients as they are less likely to cause dehydration and dry mouth. For an all natural product to help eliminate the bacteria that cause gum disease and gingivitis, try OraMD®. We are so confident in our product that it comes with a one year 100% money back guarantee!
