How Effective are Multi-Purpose Mouth Rinses?

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.

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth ...

This patient had two crowns put on his front teeth.  One of the two crowns popped out shortly after, so he came to me to see what I can do for him. Restorations on the two front teeth are some of the most difficult treatments.  Not only do they have to look like real teeth, they also have to fit within the functional parameters of the patient's bite.

I restored this case by eliminating interferences in his bite to stabilize it first. Then I restored the two front teeth with two new crowns which were done with complexity in color combination, contour, texture, and functional guidance.

The "after" photos were taken two days after delivery.  The gum will continue to adapt well around the teeth, and the restorations will continue to disappear into his dentition as if they were his own natural teeth.

Images of actual patients of Alex Nguyen, DDS are Copyrighted and Digitally Embedded to track Unauthorized Use.

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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.

A World of Thanks

What better occasion than today to express my most sincere Thank You to the patients whom I have met, befriended, and will continue to care for. May you find Peace in your travels, Love in your family gatherings, and Health in your march into the 2011 Holiday Season !