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Good oral hygiene is obviously essential for good oral health, but a question we get asked a lot is should I use a daily mouthwash?

No, is the simple answer unless it has been prescribed for a short period, usually 7-14 days by your dentist or hygienist, but daily use of an over the counter (OTC) mouthwash is not necessary and can be damaging to your health. The only exception to this is that using a regular fluoride mouthwash when wearing fixed braces if advised by an orthodontist may be beneficial but only for the duration that the braces are on your teeth. 

Why is an OTC mouthwash not necessary and why can it be damaging?

It is very important to remove the plaque from every surface of your teeth every day, the best way to do this is mechanical removal. This means using a toothbrush, electric or manual,  an interdental brush or floss. Just rinsing with a mouthwash does not remove all the plaque, despite the claims manufacturers will make. Using a daily OTC mouthwash may result in too much reliance on the mouthwash to do the job a toothbrush or interdental brush should be doing. 

But why can an OTC mouthwash be damaging to your health?

This is a bit more complicated but here is a bit of background. In order to keep your blood vessels flexible, you need a substance called Nitric Oxide. This is made by the body in two ways, the first is by the lining of your blood vessels, but as you age this process becomes less efficient, you lose the ability to make Nitric Oxide by 10% each decade over 40. The other pathway by which Nitric Oxide is produced is through your salivary glands in conjunction with the good bacteria in your mouth. If you use a daily OTC mouthwash that gets rid of 99.99% of the bacteria in your mouth, not only are you getting rid of the bad bacteria but also the good ones too. Your mouth needs a healthy microbiome to function correctly. Luckily, the oral microbiome will re-establish itself within 4-5 days of stopping using an OTC mouthwash. 

Why do you need flexible blood vessels anyway?

If your blood vessels become less flexible, your heart has to work harder and your blood pressure can increase. If you have high blood pressure and you are using a daily OTC mouthwash that was not prescribed by a dentist or hygienist, you might want to consider stop using it, your heart will thank you.