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Make your own Mouthwash and Save your Money AND your Dental Health

listerine_contains Alcohol

Many people think that using a commercial mouthwash is a good idea to prevent bad breath and germs. Unfortunately, all of the large branded mouthwashes don't do anything to kill off the harmful Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus bacteria. They do, however, contain several harmful ingredients to dental health.

Listerine Ingredients:
water, alcohol (26.9%), benzoic acid, poloxamer 407, sodium benzoate, caramel, Eucalyptol 0.092%, Menthol 0.042%, Methyl salicylate 0.060%, Thymol 0.064%

This mouthwash is 26.9 per cent alcohol or 54 degrees proof! Here's a great link to people who actually abuse Listerine.

Alcohol feeds the harmful Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus bacteria. Alcohol also dries the mouth which reduces the saliva flow which is the only way of remineralizing teeth. Long term use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes increases the risk of mouth and throat cancers. Caramel is a sugar which feeds the harmful bacteria.

Poloxamer 407 is an industrial detergent that is soluble in liquids at low temperatures but turns to a gel at higher temperatures (ie, body temperature). Poloxamer 407 actually coats your teeth and allows the other ingredients - sugars in the alcohol and Caramel to stick onto the surfaces of the mouth for longer - especially harmful if you rinse with mouthwash AFTER you brush your teeth.

Last, but not least the synthetic colours, and flavourings are made from solvents that can alter the basic flora of the mouth and may cause dermatitis. Why use volatile solvents in the first place. Many mouthwashes also contain Fluoride a know poison if swallowed.

Now are three recipes for a natural mouthwash

One - Natural Mouthwash Ingredients:
water (non-fluorinated)
Sea Salt - natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent rich in natural minerals.
Baking soda - natural cleaning agent
Hydrogen Peroxide - highly effective at killing off Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus bacteria.
Splash of natural essential oil of your choice for taste and gum health - peppermint, oregano, clove.

You can brush, rinse or best use this mixture in an oral irrigator.

Two - Natural Mouthwash Ingredients:
Sesame, Coconut, or Olive Oil.

Simply pull a tablespoon for the oil through the teeth for five minutes and then spit out the oil and rinse
the mouth with water. That's it.

Three - Natural Mouthwash Ingredients:
There are many natural herbs and roots that will kill off the harmful Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus bacteria, including tea-tree, Licorice, Echinacea, Green Tea and Olive Leaf. The Tea Tree oil seems to taste foul no matter how you disguise it.