I do not like them. I am talking about products like Crest Pro-Health, Listerine Total Care, etc. Routinely, I am seeing more problems caused by these mouth rinses rather than benefits for my patients. The most common side effect manifests as sore spots on the gum tissue, the cheek tissue inside the mouth, and the inside borders of the lips.

If you have unexplained sore spots and have recently switched to some of these multi-purpose rinses and tooth pastes, try going back to just using the basic fluoride tooth paste. It may just be the solution to your problem if your family doctor cannot pin point the cause.

Simply put, you can rinse with any magic potion all you want, but if you do not spend the time to mechanically remove plaque with flossing and brushing then you are defying your home care effort.

The best prevention of decay and gum disease is flossing and brushing. This has not changed since the invention of the tooth brush and the dental floss. There is no such thing as a magical multi-purpose mouth rinse on the market today.

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Alex Nguyen, DDS is a Saratoga Dentist who practices General Dentistry, Cosmetic, and Implant Dentistry. For over 20 years the practice has been serving the residents of Santa Clara County and San Francisco Bay Area.