Which is better flossing or mouthwash?

Our body is a temporary abode that has been assigned to us by the almighty for a predefinite number of years. It is a gift from God and should be treated like a temple and thus, its cleanliness and hygiene should be taken care of like devotion. Quoting the Bhagawat Geeta, this body is a house which has nine doors, the first one being the oral cavity or simply the mouth. Mouth is the commencement point of the digestive system. As the first stage of digestion takes place in the mouth itself, it contains both good and bad bacteria to breakdown the food we intake.

A lot of fluid secretion in the form of saliva happens in the mouth, the food we eat is of various types. Some food items might be hard to crack, others might be very greasy. While the saliva help gulping down most of the foodstuff down our throat, a fraction of it still gets stuck in the mouth at places like the in betweens of the teeth or at the back of the teeth. Such foodstuff if not cleaned, decays. That calls for more germs in the mouth and these germs damage the teeth and gums.

Thus, finding the best technique to clean our mouth is always a sought after activity. Big corporate giants belonging to the dental industry are spending billions of dollars on R&D to make their tooth pastes, tooth brushes, mouthwash solution etc better and hence, more competitive.

‘Which technique is better than the other’ is often a question that challenges many dentists and hygienists. Can rinsing with Listerine or some other mouthwash, completely do the job of flossing? There is a lot of scientific debate around this question. Though the lobbyists for the mouthwash industry are leaving no stone unturned to win this debate in their favour, usually the neutral jury vote in favour of flossing.

Recently, a summit was held at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). Here two clinical trials were demonstrated to exhibit the effectiveness of rinsing. Their research showed that antiseptic mouthrinse is at least as good and effective, if not better, than flossing.

There are many who opine that rinsing cannot compare to flossing. Mouthwash maybe a convenient way to clean your mouth wherein you just have to spray some minty solution in your mouth and gargle. It is not very time taking nor does it require any kind of precision. Whereas, while flossing you have to rustle that thread in between the tight areas of teeth. This activity takes time and needs to be done carefully, not so easy like mouthwash or rinsing.

When we are talking about oral care, effectiveness takes precedence over convenience. Mouthwash is a very mild solution or otherwise it could harm the inside tissue of the mouth, thus, it can be ineffective in plucking out foodstuff that is tightly stuck in between teeth and also it has been proved to be not very effective in reducing the formation of plaque or removing its debris, at most it softens the plaque. Here flossing has been miles ahead in terms of effectiveness.

Why flossing is better?
Scrubbing with a floss string completely destroys the colony of bacteria formed on the teeth. These colonies cause the most damage to teeth and gums. Thus, the removal or destruction of these colonies is very important for maintaining good oral health. Thus, flossing automatically stands out better than mere rinsing or mouthwash.

Using antiseptic mouthwash has its own benefits, we don’t intend to undermine mouthwash in any way. But, we advice, under no pretext, do not stop flossing. Do all i.e brush, rinse and floss for best care of your teeth and oral health as a whole. Taking out time for the benefit of your own body always pays long term benefits, so don’t be selective!

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