“How often can I use a mouthwash in a day?”
I have bad breath, and use mouth wash to make my breath smell as fresh as possible. But how many times can I use mouthwash away?
19 Answers
You can use mouth wash up to three times a day. You most likely should invest in Breath RX tongue spray and a Breath RX Tongue scrapper and use the coarse side. Buy yourself a sonicare toothbrush and a waterpik and get a deep cleaning of your teeth and fix any infections and cavities that may be contributing to your breath. Also, get a prescription for Peridex mouth wash (kills bacteria around the teeth, gums and tongue) and use it daily for only two weeks every few months (it stains the teeth if used more often than that). Also be tested for H. Pylori.
What kind of mouthwash? If you talking about Listerine, to get a best result, you can use it every 3 hours. But I recommend you see a dentist. If he does not find the problem with your teeth, check your bad breath with gastroenterology.
Two to three times a day is plenty. My concern is that your bad breath has an underlying condition. Do you have acid reflux? Do you suffer from periodontal disease? Are you diabetic? Do you have thrush? Your breath may be telling you something else is going on.
Sanaz Shahbandi
Dentist
My word of advice, if you feel your mouth smells too often, you have to find the real underlying cause and get treatment for it; use of mouthwash will not resolve it!
Halitosis (bad breath)
Dry mouth, having poor oral hygiene, acid reflux, having calculus (teeth tartar) build-ups under your gums could be the reason. Have your gums checked in case you need a deep cleaning (scaling root planning). I don’t recommend using mouthwash too often as you can get rid of the normal flora of your mouth. One other thing, get mouthwash that doesn’t have alcohol in it.
Halitosis (bad breath)
Dry mouth, having poor oral hygiene, acid reflux, having calculus (teeth tartar) build-ups under your gums could be the reason. Have your gums checked in case you need a deep cleaning (scaling root planning). I don’t recommend using mouthwash too often as you can get rid of the normal flora of your mouth. One other thing, get mouthwash that doesn’t have alcohol in it.
Brent D. Pulley
Dentist
Generally, you should use mouth wash every time you brush and floss which should be at the very least, once a day and preferably after every meal. There is no downside to using mouth wash as often as you like as long as it is not alcohol based. The alcohol will tend to dry out your mouth and kill a lot of the good bacteria that is essential to the health of your mouth. You may have a more serious issue if you use mouth wash all day long and still have bad breath. You may have periodontal disease or an active infection if you constantly have bad breath. Mouth wash is no substitute for brushing and flossing. Have your dentist check it out if the bad breath is constant.
If it is alcohol free I would say no limit. Alcohol based mouthwash will dry your mouth if used too much leading to more problems. If you are using mouthwash that much you may be covering up a bigger problem. Periodontitis can cause very bad breath. If it has been a long time since your last dental check up you may want to schedule one.
Have you seen your dentist recently? Bad breath may be a sign of periodontal disease or a systemic condition. If those have been ruled out then therapeutic mouthwashes should only be used a couple of times daily. Chewing sugar-free gum and sugar-free mints may help.
2 to 3 times. You may have an underlying dental issue. Please have it checked out. Also...a lot of times bad breath come from your tongue so make sure you use a metal tongue scraper to clean your tongue.
Franklin John Henrich
Dentist
If you haven't had a dental check-up in the last six months you should. I professional cleaning with help with bad breath. Daily brushing and flossing is essential to fresh breath. Most malodor bacteria live on the tongue, so buy a tongue scrapper or brush the bacteria off your tongue with a toothbrush. As far as mouth wash, once a day is recommended, excessive use of mouth wash can actually cause bad breath.
Brenda D. Berkal
Dentist
Mouthwashes containing alcohol should not be used frequently. When was your last professional dental cleaning? If it was within the last three months, you might want your primary care physician to rule out any metabolic or digestive disorders. Daily flossing is a big help for bad breath. Xylitol containing mints or gum do not cause decay, and freshen breath. Do NOT use hard candies with sugar!
You can use mouthwash as often as you wish. Just don't swallow it.
Hope this helps,
Jossi Stokes, DDS
Hope this helps,
Jossi Stokes, DDS
Henry Buhl
Dentist
As long as you follow instructions and do not swallow it, you can rinse with mouthwash as often as you feel the need.
Tony Cianfarani
Dentist
Do not use too often as it will cause tooth sensitivity and you may develop an allergy. 1-2X/day should be the most.
Sheena Bhatia
Dentist
Bad breath is caused due to bacteria that often reside in the back of the tongue and depend on what we eat. Just using a mouthwash could help feel good temporarily, but cleaning the coating on your tongue at least once a day (using a tongue cleaner, not a toothbrush) really helps. If you have a dry mouth, change to Biotene toothpaste and rinse, which helps, too. There are other causes, too, like systemic diseases (diabetes, etc.) that need slightly different approaches, but for the most part, adding a tongue cleaner to your daily home care
is a good start. If that does not help, then there are things like breath Rx; that can be used after consulting your dentist.
Hope this helps :)
is a good start. If that does not help, then there are things like breath Rx; that can be used after consulting your dentist.
Hope this helps :)
Sajid K. Syed
Dentist
If you get regular cleanings done by a hygenist and you floss regularly, once or twice a day and still have bad breath, mouthwash once a day is plenty. If you are doing all the above and still have bad breath, make sure you brush your tongue as well when you brush your teeth, as a lot of bacteria reside on your tongue as well.
Neal Nealis
Dentist
Bad breath is often caused by either postnasal drip or bleeding gums. Mouthwash will mask the odor but not address the cause. Better to address the cause.
Tania Maria Baker
Dentist
You don’t need to use mouthwash at all! You are right in regards to the mouthwash giving you the feeling of freshness, but this is a false sense of well-being and could mask serious problems. See your dentist for a gum exam! You may need treatment. A healthy mouth does need a toothbrush and a floss daily! If your gums are healthy, then you need to see your doctor to check for stomach or lung problems.
It depends on the mouthwash you are using. There are many over the counter alcohol based mouthwash’s that I feel can affect your health if used frequently in a negative fashion. Right off the bat if I mouthwash has alcohol in it this has been shown to be a carcinogen in many studies. Alcohol is a natural drying agent although they kill bacteria they also reduce the amount of saliva which promotes tooth decay and periodontal disease . Broad spectrum mouthwash that are actually recommended by dentists and periodontists like peridex uses chlorhexidine can reduce nitric oxide levels In our mouth’s and systemically and lead to an increase in your blood pressure. However if you use for example baking soda in some water that is alkalizing not harmful and can be used frequently.So in conclusion it depends if the initial mouthwash is beneficial or harmful.
Nelson D. Henry
Dentist
Generally mouth waste are used twice a day. However there is no specific guideline that state how often you can use it. If it is alcohol free you can use it as often as you like
