Listerine: Not Worth The Trouble
August 2, 2008 by admin
Filed under Product Reviews
If you’re like me, we used whatever was given to us. If it was soap, shampoo, toilet paper, or mouthwash, we pretty much had no choice. And for many years, your choices in mouthwash were either Scope or Listerine.
But as awareness of mouthwash has increased, so has your options; however, Listerine still seems to be the brand most people think about when they here the word “mouthwash.”
The bad news is, the bad taste is still drummed up in someone’s mind.
For the purist in natural living, the question that must be asked is, “Is Listerine still my mouthwash of choice?”.
The short answer is a resounding NO. Listerine has been around for decades, but while the company has tried to improve its image by coming out with different flavors, the main ingredients remain the same… with the most noxious and unsafest ingredients being the alcohols.
The alcohols in Listerine (and in Scope and other store-branded bottles) cause a drying effect in the mouth. That’s the burning sensation you feel that ultimately makes you want to spit sooner than later. It is also that drying power that naturally causes more cells to die, resulting in an increased probability of having oral cancer.
So combining the horrid taste with the increased risks of cancer, we give Listerine or any mouthwash containing alcohol and big thumbs down. Stay far away from these.
We recommend alcohol-free mouthwashes, preferably ones containing the active ingredient stabilized chlorine dioxide.
For more information about the highly recommended rinse, visit here.
Also, visit our San Diego dentist for more information.
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That is so wrong, if you were educated you would no that listerine is the best mouthwash. it has been around since the 1800′s. it’s the only mouthwash approved by the american dental assocation, and it has the best results. non alcoholic mouthwashes dont work. so what if listerine burns. wouldnt you rather have white nice teeth with no plaque instead of dirty teeth.
Lexi, in actuality, the ADA has “approved” over 50 brands of mouth rinses and over 100 different products within those brands. Some of those rinses contain alcohol and some do not (here’s a list: ADA-approved mouth rinses.
Also, the ADA has released research that indicates alcohol-based mouthrinses may be a cause of certain oral cancers (http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/topics_cancer_brief_mouthrinses.pdf). They still put their seal on some of them because of limited research that has been done and because, despite the oral cancer risk, the rinses contain ingredients known to help reduce plaque, and that’s the goal of the product, despite the potential side effects.
Does Listerine have a long history? Yes. Does that mean it’s the best choice of products — or the only option you have? Absolutely not.
I have to agree with Dr. Marvin. Alcohol based mouth rinses will do their job initially- but while doing it, also strip and damage gum and cheek tissue. Then the next onslaught of bacteria moves in and is able to do even more damage.
My favorite newly discovered mouth rinse so far (besides sea salt water or baking soda and water) is Ecodent’s oral mouth rinse. It has Goldenseal, and other anti-bacterial herbs and essential oils in an olive oil base. Lately I’ve been having gum issues during my menstruation times so am using this daily during that time — I love the taste and the way it wakes up my mouth without the alcohol. I plan on getting a few more bottles of this to keep on hand.
I also love the Ecodent tooth powder as well.
I was looking at the Listerine I have here at home and it has sugar and glycerine in it. Sugar is bad for your teeth and I heard that glycerine is really bad too. I stopped using my listerine and now I use salt water. I also stopped using my toothpaste too. They both were not doing me any good at all. They were not helping my teeth any. I use baking soda now. My teeth are whiter and they don’t hurt anymore. I really believe in all natural things to heal your body and your teeth. I heard that baking soda could probably actually restore my teeth. I have two holes in my teeth where the fillings fell out. I really believe the baking soda is starting to heal my teeth and my holes are starting to close up. My mom has been using baking soda too and her gums are healing. She also using salt water too.
actually listerine is primarily composed of essential oil like thymol, menthol, methyl salicylate anf eucalyptol. alcohol content is aroung 21% and is placed there to dissolve the essential oils. it is not fo antibacterial activity. both the american dental association and the united states national cancer institute have declaerd it safe.
How do you define the word “primarily”? I would define it as the dictionary does: “for the most part”. Considering Listerine is about 21% alcohol and even larger part water, I would say it is “primarily” water and alcohol.
It’s stated active ingredients are Eucalyptol (0.092%), Menthol (0.042%), Methyl salicylate (0.060%), and Thymol (0.064%) (depending on the line you are looking at). The reason those are the “active” ingredients are because those are the ingredients that help fight plaque and gingivitis. That in no way implies that the alcohol doesn’t have any effect on the mouth when used at 21%. Further, the ADA also says mercury fillings are safe, etc. There is a substantial cost associated with having a product ADA “approved”… they don’t simply look at every dental product and offer to put their seal on it. And I believe the NCI actually said they have not yet found conclusive evidence of alcohol based mouthwash leading to oral cancer… which is a far cry from declaring it “safe.”
Of course, that’s all assuming you discount studies such as the one from the Australian Dental Journal: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpl/adj/2008/00000053/00000004/art00003 (which states “that it is inadvisable for oral healthcare professionals to recommend the long-term use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes” because of “sufficient evidence to accept the proposition that alcohol-containing mouthwashes contribute to the increased risk of development of oral cancer”.)