Science makes a gentler, effective mouthwash

MANILA, Philippines - When you ask someone if he or she uses mouthwash regularly, the likely answer will be, “I do but not so often because it stings.”

This avoidance of regular mouthwashes due to pain is not surprising but it does discourage people from completing what ought to be their ideal oral hygiene routine.

In the first place, why is mouthwash painful to use — and do we really have to endure the pain in exchange for fresher breath and oral health?

First of all, regular mouthwashes sting because they contain alcohol. Alcohol has been in the formula for mouthwash for more than half a century. Furthermore, regular mouthwashes use strong flavors that leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

There’s already an alternative to alcohol-based mouthwashes, thanks to a new scientific formulation. Instead of alcohol as the active ingredient, the new generation of mouthwashes uses stabilized chlorine dioxide. The science behind this formulation looks so simple but very effective.

OraCare Mouthrinse uses stabilized chlorine dioxide, a known oxidizing agent that removes the true source of strong mouth odors — anaerobic bacteria and volatile sulfur compounds.

It contains no alcohol and no strong flavors, so it doesn’t sting and has no strong, unpleasant aftertaste. These add up to a gentler, pleasant gargling experience.

Regular mouthwashes don’t break down volatile sulfur compounds; instead, they use strong flavors and fragrances to mask bad breath. Eventually, this masking effect wears off and the odor-causing volatile sulfur compounds remain.

OraCare’s stabilized chlorine dioxide formulation doesn’t just mask mouth odor; it kills the bad bacteria and neutralizes the volatile sulfur compounds responsible for bad breath.

These bacteria are anaerobic, meaning they thrive in the absence of oxygen. OraCare kills these bacteria by releasing oxygen so you get real clean, fresh breath that lasts for hours.

Basketball star Chris Tiu switched to OraCare after he saw it at the grocery store and tried it out of curiosity. He is an international-caliber athlete and captain of a national basketball squad.

Together with his teammates, Tiu represents the Philippines proudly in international basketball tournaments. He is a commercial model, TV host, and is even a public official, serving as a councilor in Barangay Urdaneta, Makati City.

“My old mouthwash worked. Like many conventional mouthwashes, the brand contained alcohol. It freshened my breath but only for a short time. Another major downside was the stinging, even burning sensation in my mouth. It even left an unpleasant aftertaste. When I switched to OraCare, I never went back to my old mouthwash brand,” Tiu says.

He adds that not only is OraCare pleasant to use, it is also very effective in removing unpleasant mouth odors.

OraCare Mouthrinse Cool, Regular and Arctic variants are available in all major supermarkets and drugstores nationwide.