Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi Melody,

The most effective way to remove plaque from your teeth is brushing and flossing properly. It is not so much what is on the toothbrush or in the mouthwash that removes the plaque... it is the mechanical action of brushing and flossing that does the trick. Within 45 minutes of brushing your teeth, plaque begins to form irrelevant of whether you have eaten or not. Plaque is a film of bacteria that is produced by the chemistry in our saliva. So irrelvant of what you rinse with or how many times you brush, you are going to produce plaque. The idea is to thoroughly remove the accumulation of plaque no less than twice a day by brushing and flossing..... especially at bedtime.

Biotene is really meant to be used by people who have an excessively dry mouth due to medications, radiation treatment, illness.... etc. However, it does not work as well as plain ole Xylitol and unlike Xylitol, Biotene contains fluoride, preservatives and dyes.

Even though you are "only" rinsing with a mouthwash, you are bathing the oral tissue, the tonsils and the nasal mucosa in the back of the throat with the ingredients in the mouthwash which is penetrating into these areas every time you use the rinse. There is no need to do that and it can be harmful. That's why if you are going to use mouthwash, it is important to use a product that does not disrupt or kill the good bacteria in your mouth.

A good example of a toothpaste that contains helpful, harmless cleaning agents that are actually good for our teeth and gums and has ingredients that help reduce the acidity in our mouths is .... Jason PowerSmile toothpaste and Jason Powersmile Mouthwash. They both have similar ingredients which means they are not going to be counterproductive if you use one right after the other.

Plaque is a slimy, white film that is easily removed with your toothbrush or floss. Tartar is plaque that has hardened. This means that the plaque was there for a long time and actually became hard. This needs to be scaled off with an instrument.

The proper order for oral hygiene is..... floss, brush, scrap the tongue, rinse. However, the order is not as crucial as the thoroughness of it all!

I'm also going to give you a "good job Melody"!! =)

Bryanna