How to Use Mouthwash

Video Transcript

"I'm Dr. Joe Neely. I practice with the Barton Oaks Dental Group. We're going to talk about, how to effectively use a mouthwash. If you think about what you're trying to accomplish with a mouthwash, it's pretty apparent that if you want it to be effective, you've got to get the gross debris, and any type of insoluble material, off of what you're trying to have the mouthwash affect, so that means that you're going to have to do a thorough job of brushing your teeth, as well as cleaning in between the teeth. Typically, the most effective way to do that, is to floss. For people who use toothpicks, or other types of interproximal in between teeth, cleaning methods, and you can get those areas clean. Clean off the surface of the tongue, and then simply, you want to use a large enough portion of mouthwash that you have some volume to swish, but not so much that, your mouth is full, so typically, about an ounce is enough. Since the mouthwash is going to effectively just rinse over the surface, be it a fluoride mouthwash, in which you're trying to get fluoride in proximity, to tooth structure, or a mouthwash for bad breath. You're going to be wanting to be able to oxidize the products, that are produce the sewer gas ,basically, that creates bad breath, or an antimicrobial mouthwash, that you're trying to kill bacteria with. You want to be able to swish it vigorously, for ten to fifteen seconds, and then depending on the type of mouth rinse you use, you would not want to rinse it away, by rinsing with water."