What activities do you associate with the term “oral hygiene”? If you answered “brushing” and “flossing”, you’d be correct. They’re very important – but don’t forget the mouthwash! It doesn’t just give you fresh breath – it helps reduce plaque, prevent cavities and gum disease, and kill bad bacteria which reside in your mouth.
Keep reading – we’re going to discuss the four best mouthwashes for all-around family use – bad breath, bacteria-killing, kids, and protection from gum disease.
The Most Powerful All-Round Mouthwash for the Whole Family
Listerine is a household name. In fact, it’s probably what most of us first think of when we hear the word “mouthwash”. Listerine was named after The Right Honourable Joseph Lister – former president of the Royal Society, and pioneer of antiseptic surgical methods. Today, the company manufactures a wide range of oral hygiene products, including Listerine Total Care Clean Mint Antibacterial Mouthwash.
Listerine Total Care is the best “all-in-one” mouthwash available, providing six benefits in one product. It:
- Promotes healthy gums
- Reduces plaque
- Kills up to 99% of dangerous oral bacteria
- Prevents tartar buildup
- Works so effectively, that it’s approved by the British Dental Health Association [1]
- Eliminates bad breath causing bacteria
- Freshens breath for as long as 24 hours
Listerine Total Care is appropriately named – its wide range of benefits makes it the perfect choice for an all-round mouthwash. If you want just one product to round out your oral hygiene routine, make it Listerine Total Care.
Best Mouthwash For Kids (Children Over 6)
LISTERINE® Smart Rinse Mild Mint is a kids mouthwash formula free from alcohol and sugar, designed to clean areas of the mouth that brushing might have missed. Perfect for children over 6 and can be used in a kids water flosser for maximum clean between teeth.
LISTERINE® Smart Rinse Mild Mint includes Fluoride but is a mild minty flavour, and doesn’t come with the sting of alcohol based mouthwashes. Fluoride in this formula can reduce the risk of cavities by up to 40% in kids more than just brushing.
Eliminates harmful bacteria plaue and bad breath by neutralising harmful bacteria, which are a leading cause of plaque and gum disease.
Provides a Complete Clean; It covers the entire mouth, including teeth, gums, and tongue. Highlights Areas Missed by Brushing, draws out and colors the plaque and bacteria that brushing might not reach, providing visual evidence for your child to see in the sink.
Recommended Use – Use it twice daily, in the morning and evening, after brushing. Measure 10ml (2 x 5 ml spoonfuls or us cap as guide) into a glass, swish it around your teeth and gums for 60 seconds, then spit it out. Parents should watch over their child closely to prevent them from swallowing. Make sure to replace the cap right after each rinse.
Most Powerful Mouthwash for Bad Breath
Halitosis – better known as “bad breath” – isn’t just an unpleasant social deterrent. It can also be a sign that not all is well inside of your mouth! We’ve all got that one family member with unpleasant breath, but we have a solution.
Though bad breath can result from the consumption of certain foods – garlic, onions, canned fish, dairy products and certain spices are the most common offenders – it can also be caused by the decay of trapped food particles, gum disease, cavities and infections.
Sometimes, brushing and flossing aren’t enough to banish bad breath [2]. That’s when you need to enlist the help of The Breath Co Fresh Breath Oral Rinse in Icy Mint flavour – the best mouthwash for combatting halitosis.
The Fresh Breath Co has made dentist-recommended products for over 20 years, and their Icy Mint Oral Rinse has legions of fans that love its ability to obliterate bad breath for up to twenty-four hours. Unlike some products, Icy Mint Oral Rinse is non-acidic, free of artificial colours and flavours, and contains no alcohol – which means it won’t irritate or dry out your mouth.
What makes this mouthwash so effective comes down to two things: The powerfully invigorating icy mint flavour, and Oxyd-8, a potent, safe and effective oxygenating compound that neutralizes sulphur-producing bacteria.
Corsody: The Best Mouthwash for Fighting Gum Disease
Gum disease – an infection of the tissue that surrounds the teeth – is a leading cause of tooth loss. Gum disease is often painless, which means it can occur undetected. It’s caused by plaque (a sticky layer of bacteria). When the disease has progressed far enough, it can result in the following:
- Bleeding, tender, red or swollen gums
- Gums that separate from the teeth
- Halitosis or an unpleasant taste in the mouth
- Loose teeth
- A change in bite
If gum disease is treated early, it can usually be reversed. It’s important not to let it progress – in its advanced stages, it can cause teeth to come loose or fall out, bone or tissue to degrade – and it may be linked to conditions such as stroke and diabetes.
The best family mouthwash for preventing and treating gum disease is made by Corsodyl. Its active ingredient is chlorhexidine, a disinfectant and antiseptic substance that fights harmful microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. Chlorhexidine’s broad-spectrum action means it’s not only effective against the bacteria [3] which cause gum disease – it may also combat mouth ulcers and oral thrush.
Corsodyl mouthwash helps prevent plaque from forming and building up on teeth, making it an effective oral hygiene aid that doesn’t just fight gum disease, but keeps it from occurring in the first place.
Corsodyl is a highly specialized form of mouthwash. Its antiseptic ingredient isn’t found in most other products, and as such, it’s best reserved for those suffering from inflammation and infection of the gums. That being said, like the other mouthwashes we’ve discussed, Cordosyl is available in a tasty mint flavour, making it pleasant to use, and suitable for immediately freshening one’s breath, while attacking the root cause of the problem.