<\/p>\n
I have a professional confession to make. As a longtime beauty editor, I\u2019m supposed to have most of the answers\u2014makeup, skin care, wellness\u2014yep, even oral health. But it was only recently that I learned there are multiple types of mouthwash, and each one does something different within your oral-care routine. My whole life, I\u2019ve simply reached for whatever\u2019s in front of me\u2014hyped up on social, on sale or eye-catching enough to land in my Target cart.<\/p>\n
And as it turns out, mouthwash wasn\u2019t the only thing I was getting wrong. Apparently, when <\/em>you use mouthwash matters just as much as which one you grab\u2014and right after brushing, it seems, isn\u2019t the move either. Ahead, I\u2019m sharing what I learned from dentists in the process, including the different types of mouthwash, when to actually use each one and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There are three main categories of mouthwash, says Los Angeles cosmetic dentist Jon Marashi, DDS. They go as follows: \u201cFluoride rinses are about strengthening enamel and preventing decay,\u201d he explains. \u201cAntiseptic or antibacterial rinses\u2014things like chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride\u2014are targeting bacteria and reducing gum inflammation. Then you have your cosmetic rinses, which freshen breath and make your mouth feel clean, but they’re not actually changing the bacterial environment in any meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether you use mouthwash before or after brushing depends on which type you\u2019re using, says Dr. Marashi. (Which, fair warning, was already more nuanced than I was expecting from a question I assumed had a one-word answer.) <\/p>\n Use fluoride mouthwash on its own, at least 30 minutes after brushing\u2014otherwise it gets diluted or rinsed away before it can actually work. \u201cThe intent is to give it its own window to do its job without being washed away or diluted,\u201d Dr. Marashi explains.<\/p>\n Antiseptic rinses are the opposite: Use those before brushing, as loosening up the bacteria first gives your toothbrush an actual fighting chance. \u201cUsing them before brushing can actually be beneficial because you’re loosening the bacterial load before you physically disrupt it with the brush,\u201d Dr. Marashi adds.<\/p>\n Cosmetic rinses, meanwhile, are the low-stakes option. Use them whenever. \u201cThe timing matters a lot less because the therapeutic impact is limited regardless,\u201d says Dr. Marashi.<\/p>\n If you’re using a fluoride toothpaste (which most people are, as it’s recommended by the American Dental Association), there\u2019s a special rule to follow: \u201cYou want that fluoride to sit on the tooth surface for 30 minutes to continue working,\u201d Dr. Marashi says. Rinse too soon, whether it\u2019s with water or mouthwash, and you’ve cut that window short.<\/p>\n So resist the urge to rinse, tempting as it is. \u201cSpit. Don’t rinse,\u201d adds Dr. Glosman. As he explains it, \u201cit can reduce the concentration of fluoride remaining in the mouth,\u201d whether that rinse is water or mouthwash. That advice extends to fluoride mouthwash, too. Both dentists suggest saving it for a separate part of your day entirely, like after lunch, rather than stacking it on top of brushing.<\/p>\n Short answer: no. \u201cBurning is not proof that something is working,\u201d Dr. Glosman says. \u201cWe’ve somehow been trained to think that if our eyes are watering after thirty seconds, the bacteria must really be frightened. That’s not how oral health works.\u201d He recommends alcohol-free formulas, especially if you’re prone to dry mouth. (Not because alcohol-based rinses are dangerous, but because they can make dryness worse.)<\/p>\n Here’s the stripped-down gist: Brush twice a day, floss, use fluoride toothpaste, and spit out what\u2019s left (crucially, don’t rinse with mouthwash immediately after). If you do want to use mouthwash, use it 30 minutes after brushing, or ditch it from your routine entirely. What matters most is that your plaque is gone, your gums are happy and your enamel has a chance to remineralize\u2014not that you\u2019re just masking bad breath.<\/p>\n As someone who\u2019s apparently tried products from every mouthwash category over the years (albeit unknowingly), here are my top picks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have a professional confession to make. As a longtime […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Featured Experts<\/h2>\n
\n
What Are the Different Types of Mouthwash?<\/h2>\n
Should You Use Mouthwash Before or After Brushing?<\/h2>\n
A Fluoride PSA<\/h2>\n
Does Mouthwash Need to Burn to Work?<\/h2>\n
What Does an Ideal Mouthwash Routine Actually Look Like?<\/h2>\n
Shop Mouthwash Picks, by Category<\/h2>\n