Many people regularly rinse their mouths with mouthwash to promote their oral health. However, if not used correctly, mouthwash might really put your health in peril.
Research has connected the increased risk of oral cancer to a variety of commercial mouthwashes, including Listerine.
According to statistics, this kind of cancer is diagnosed in over 640,000 people worldwide and in about 48,000 Americans each year.
In addition to the tongue, the cheeks, gums, and floor of the mouth can also develop oral cancer. According to the most recent research, mouthwashes may be to blame for many occurrences of oral cancer growth.
Specifically, the alcohol, toxic chemicals, and other ingredients in these products put your oral health at risk every time you gargle. We’ll outline some of the most popular mouthwash components so you can judge whether using them poses any hazards.
Alcohol: Alcohol dries out the mucous membranes and reduces saliva production, which causes bad breath. Additionally, it upsets the pH balance in the mouth and throat. The Dental Journal of Australia reports that drinking alcohol considerably increases the chance of getting head, neck, and oral malignancies.
Chlorhexidine
Researchers claim that this chemical in mouthwash increases blood pressure.
The journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine published a study which confirmed that the use of mouthwash twice a day raises blood pressure and causes serious heart issues. Also, this chemical destroys the good bacteria in the body, whose role is to relax the blood vessels.
Hexetidine (oraldene)
Excessive amounts of this chemical, if ingested, cause clotting of certain neural and sensory functions of the brain, and thus leads to failure of their activity over time. It has also been found to cause allergies, unstable heartbeat, and experts believe it is carcinogenic.
Methyl Salicylate
Only a tablespoon of this harmful substance equals 23 300mg aspirin pills, so an overdose causes various severe consequences, including low blood pressure, kidney failure, vomiting, loss of vision, convulsions, difficulty breathing, and much more.
Methylparaben
Research has found this common chemical in mouthwashes, deodorants, and skin creams, within breast cancer tissues, and experts suggest that its use speeds up tumor growth and leads to an increased risk of breast cancer.
One study included patients suffering from existing periodontal disease, who changed their dietary habits, and based their diet on fruits, vegetables, potatoes, whole grains, spices, lentils, beans, and water.
Participants were asked to maintain their regular oral hygiene habits, and in the end, they proved that healthy foods supported oral health and helped them prevent and treat further complications.
Nowadays, scientists also show that despite sugar, numerous other foods negatively affect our oral health.
Yet, there is a natural and extremely effective option you can use in order to use a safer alternative to mouthwash- green tea!
Studies have shown that rinsing with this natural tea prevented plaque bacteria growth in minutes! To be more specific, only after 7 minutes of the use of green tea, the number of dangerous bacteria in the plaque was reduced by half!
Furthermore, researchers tested chlorhexidine against green tea, and discovered that the tea is much more effective in reducing plaque, and it does not include all those harmful chemicals we have listed above.
Therefore, start using green tea instead of your common mouthwash in order to promote oral health, and avoid various severe side-effects!
