• Question: how does mouthwash work?

    Asked by connorgooddyyy to Daphne, Darren, Jon, Katherine on 21 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Daphne Ng

      Daphne Ng answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      Mouthwashes work in a few ways. Firstly, they help to dislodge food particles in the mouth and wash them away. This prevents bacteria from breaking down the food and producing compounds which contribute to bad breath. Mouthwashes also contain antibacterial substances which kill bacteria in the mouth that cause bad breath.

      Lastly, mouthwashes contain fragrant substances which leave the mouth feeling and smelling fresh and minty!

    • Photo: Katherine Haxton

      Katherine Haxton answered on 21 Mar 2012:

      The chemicals in mouthwash are quite interesting. A lot of them have a certain amount of ethanol in them, that can kill some bacteria. They might have other chemicals like cetylpyridinium chloride or chorhexidine – these are excellent at killing bacteria. They will have water, flavours such as menthol for the minty fresh feel and to disguise the taste of the other ingredients, artificial sweeteners to improve the taste (they couldn’t exactly use sugar now, could they?) and things like colour, preservatives and stabilisers. Some contain fluoride which is good for teeth, and some contain stuff that claims to whiten your teeth.
      A lot of people find mouthwash too strong tasting so they’ve developed ones that don’t have as strong a minty taste.

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