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Posted on 1/25/2019 by Water's Edge Dental |
 From a young age, we are taught about several dangerous things should not be put in our mouths. However, one thing we are rarely weaned from is the habit of using alcohol based mouthwashes to cleanse and sterilize our mouths. Is it time to set down the bottle and move on to better alternatives?The Big C Perhaps most alarmingly, the use of alcohol based mouthwashes has been recently linked to oral cancer. A study published in 2008 by Australian professor of oral medicine Michael McCullough found that people who use alcoholic mouthwashes more than three times daily dramatically increases the risk by almost 5% to over 9%, depending on the number of other factors present (such as a history of smoking or drinking.) Other studies since then have not turned up results quite as foreboding but do acknowledge that there is some level of link between using high-alcohol washes and the development of oral cancer. Irritation and PainEven without the risk of cancer, most mouthwash users are not reticent about mentioning that it takes getting used to the burning "tingle” sensation of using an alcohol based wash, and that it can turn people away from washing as often as they should. This is not the case with most alcohol-free mouthwashes, which typically use essential oils and fluoride to non-abrasively and non-irritatingly clean the teeth.While you should still continue to use mouthwash, it may be a good idea to switch to an alcohol-free product to protect your mouth and body from future harm. If you'd like to know more about mouthwashes, or need help deciding which one is best for you, don't hesitate to reach out to our office and discuss the options currently available on the dental hygiene market. |
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