Bad breath is something that everyone experiences from time to time. There are those individuals that suffer from chronic bad breath (halitosis) caused by an underlying health issue and then there are those who simply have bad breath for less serious reasons such as food particles or dry mouth. To treat bad breath, one of the most common solutions is the use of over the counter products:
- Toothpaste
- Floss
- Mouthwash
However, recent studies in the medical field have revealed that mouthwash may not be the best solution for curing bad breath at least not mouthwash that contains alcohol. Alternative mouthwashes that are alcohol-free are available from TheraBreath® and are highly effective at providing fresh breath. The primary point that this article will make on the difference of mouthwash with alcohol vs. mouthwash without alcohol is dry mouth. The debate is rather simple and is based on the fact that alcohol dries out the mouth. A dry mouth does not allow bacteria to be flushed out of the mouth. When bacteria build-up in the oral cavity, they produce a foul odor, bad breath. This article goes into further detail and provides a comparison of mouthwash with alcohol and alcohol free mouthwash.
About Alcohol and Dry Mouth
For anyone that has ever taken a drink of alcohol or has had several drinks, they know that a glass of water is needed as a follow-up. The fact is that alcohol is a drying agent (desiccant in the medical profession) that ultimately dries out the mouth, even after small doses. The problem with this fact is that the majority of mouthwash products on the market currently contain alcohol. In fact, the chemicals that go into these types of mouthwashes further aggravate bad breath by adding to the drying effects. A dry mouth is not able to flush out bacteria.
Chemicals in Typical Mouthwash
Alcohol is not the only chemical in an over the counter type of mouthwash. There are other harmful chemicals that not only contribute to bad breath but can also cause other mouth health issues. Of all the chemicals, the most prevalent is one called sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). This is an ingredient that is used in a number of toothpastes and mouthwashes currently available to the public. The bad part is that most people do not realize that they are using products with this particular chemical.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) works the same way as alcohol and ultimately dries the mouth out. The ingredient is used to create foaming, an act that many people relate to toothpaste as a way of determining whether it is working, even though this isn’t really the case. Aside from drying the mouth out, this ingredient is known to cause microscopic damage to the lining of oral tissue that may cause canker sores. In combination with alcohol in most mouthwashes, SLS produces more bad breath rather than providing a treatment.
Mouthwash Containing Alcohol
As a result of mixing alcohol and other chemical compounds, most mouthwash products with alcohol only temporarily reduces bad breath and in the long-term help improve conditions for the development of bad breath. Rather than kill germs as many mouthwashes claim, they are not killing off enough to stop bad breath. Some companies claim that their product’s active ingredient is not alcohol, but the mere presence of it should cause concern to the average consumer.
Alcohol Free Mouthwash vs. Regular Mouthwash
There is an alternative to the common types of mouthwash: Alcohol free mouthwash. With the development of new articles and medical reviews about what alcohol does to the body and how it negatively affects the curing of bad breath, many companies have begun producing alcohol-free products. These mouthwash products do not contain alcohol and thereby do not contain many of the chemicals that help promote bad breath, such as sodium lauryl sulfate. These products help to allow the mouth to continue producing saliva, something critical to keeping the mouth fresh, while killing off the germs that could potentially cause bad breath in the first place.
An example of how saliva plays a big part in fresh breath is a baby. The reason that babies have sweet breath can be attributed to the fact that they are constantly producing saliva, among other things, which keeps their mouths clean and fresh. The same idea applies to adults, which is why they should use products without alcohol.
Regular mouthwash products contain alcohol either as an active agent or as part of the ingredients that make up the product. Using a mouthwash with alcohol will result in a dryer mouth, eliminating or decreasing the amount of saliva being produced. Essentially, regular mouthwash can result in more than just bad breath; it can result in other medical and dental issues as well.
Additionally, whereas regular mouthwash can cause a burning sensation in the oral cavity tissue, alcohol free mouthwash does not. Some people associate the burning sensation with the act of cleaning the mouth. However, the active ingredients make the difference, not the amount of pain involved in gargling. Alcohol-free mouthwash should not contain benzalkonium chloride (allergen), sodium lauryl sulfate, saccharin, or alcohol. It should, on the other hand, have sodium benzoate, sodium bicarbonate, and other ingredients that actually help eliminate bacteria from the mouth.
TheraBreath® is a company dedicated to combating bad breath through products known to help the problem and are made with only natural ingredients. TheraBreath® Oral Rinse will reduce bad breath and help treat the underlying issues that caused it in the first place. The goal of a good mouthwash is to kill off the germs that cause bad breath and leave an environment conducive to fresh breath. Using ingredients such as the patented OXYD-8 in TheraBreath® oral rinse helps individuals get rid of the bitter and metallic tastes that come from a dirty mouth or acidic mouth.
Using Alcohol Free Mouthwash Products over Others
There is abundant evidence that mouthwash products that contain alcohol fail to do their job. The fact that they contain a drying agent (alcohol) is enough to discount their effectiveness. Alcohol free mouthwash products, on the other hand, help to kill off the germs and bacteria that cause bad breath and leave the mouth feeling fresh in the end. The key to a good mouthwash product is to leave the mouth with the ability to retain and create saliva to fend off bad breath. By using an alcohol free mouthwash, consumers will be able to cure their bad breath and know that they are not using harmful chemicals that may worsen the very thing they wanted to get rid of in the first place bad breath.
Sources: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/04/24/the-mouthwash-debate.html http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213420#.T3SRaNVMGSo