Non-Alcohol Mouthwash vs Alcohol Mouthwash – Which is Healthier?

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Our Verdict

When comparing non-alcohol mouthwash to alcohol mouthwash, we picked the alcohol.

Why?

Note: this is a contingent choice and is applicable to most, but not all, people.

In short, there has been some concern about alcohol mouthwashes increasing cancer risk, but research has shown this is only the case if you already have an increased risk of oral cancer (for example if you smoke, and/or have had an oral cancer before).

For those for whom this is not the case (for example, if you don’t smoke, and/or have no such cancer history), then best science currently shows that alcohol mouthwash does not cause any increased risk.

What about non-alcohol mouthwashes? Well, they have a different problem; they usually use chlorine-based chemicals like chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride, which are (exactly as the label promises) exceptionally good at killing oral bacteria.

(They’d kill us too, at higher doses, hence: swill and spit)

Unfortunately, much like the rest of our body, our mouth is supposed to have bacteria there and bad things happen when it doesn’t. In the case of our oral microbiome, cleaning it with such powerful antibacterial agents can kill our “good” bacteria along with the bad, which lowers the pH of our saliva (that’s bad; it means it is more acidic), and thus indirectly erodes tooth enamel.

You can read more about the science of all of the above (with references), here:

Toothpastes & Mouthwashes: Which Help And Which Harm?

Summary:

For most people, alcohol mouthwashes are a good way to avoid the damage that can be done by chlorhexidine in non-alcohol mouthwashes.

Here are some examples, but there will be plenty in your local supermarket:

Non-Alcohol, by Colgate | Alcohol, by Listerine

If you have had oral cancer, or if you smoke, then you may want to seek a third alternative (and also, please, stop smoking if you can).

Or, really, most people could probably skip mouthwashes, if you’ve good oral care already by other means. See also:

Toothpastes & Mouthwashes: Which Help And Which Harm?

(yes, it’s the same link as before, but we’re now drawing your attention to the fact it has information about toothpastes too)

If you do want other options though, might want to check out:

Less Common Oral Hygiene Options ← miswak sticks are especially effective

Take care!

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    Jessica Valant is a physiotherapist and Pilates teacher, and today she’s going to demonstrate some exercise that relieve (and also correct the cause of) sciatica pain.

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    The Five Keys Of Aging Healthily

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    This is Dr. Daniel Levitin. He’s a neuroscientist, and his research focuses on aging, the brain, health, productivity, and creativity. Also music, and he himself is an accomplished musician also, but we’re not going to be focusing on that today.

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    !

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    ❝Creatine is known to increase “puffiness”, especially in my face. Are there any supplements that do the opposite?!❞

    So first, let’s examine why this happens: creatine is most often taken to boost muscle size and performance. Your muscles are, of course, mostly water by mass, and so building your muscles requires extra water, which triggers systemic water retention.

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    Most research on creatine’s effects on humans has usually been either collegiate athletes or seniors, which leaves quite a research gap in the middle—so it’s unclear at what age the muscle-building effects begin to taper off, and at what age the cognitive benefits begin to take off.

    Want a quicker fix?

    If you want to reduce your facial puffiness acutely (e.g., you have a date in an hour and would like to not have a puffy face), then there are two things you can do that will help immediately, and/but only have short-term effects, meaning you’d have to do them daily to enjoy the results every day:

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    7-Minute Face Fitness For Lymphatic Drainage & Youthful Jawline

    Enjoy!

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