Commercial mouthwashes are used for various purposes including getting rid of bad breath, plaque, gingivitis, etc. The American Dental Association provides a very detailed write-up on mouthwash. You may be able to get a similar benefit from a saltwater and hydrogen peroxide solutions. Many dentists state that you only need to brush and floss to support a healthy mouth.
What I have always wondered though is, assuming there is some benefit from using mouthwash, am I getting any benefit from them? The reason I question this is because the recommended rinse duration on most mouthwashes range from 30 seconds to one minute. I think I rinse for maybe 20 seconds at best. Do you rinse for one minute?
There are tons of mouthwashes out there so it can be a challenge to pick the right one for you. I found the following information for various brands of mouthwash:
| Mouthwash Brand | Rinse Duration (seconds) | Alcohol Free? | Ratings | ||||
| Ranker | Faveable | Bestlisto | Tenbestreview | Bestseekers | |||
| Listerine | 30 | No | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 6 | |
| Crest | 30 to 60 | Yes | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Scope | 30 | No | 2 | 2 | |||
| Colgate-Palmolive | 30 | Yes | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Oral-B | 30 | No | 4 | 4 | |||
| Biotene | 30 | Yes | 6 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Cepacol | 30 | No | 9 | 7 | |||
| ACT | 30 | Yes | 5 | 3.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 1 |
| Sensodyne | 60 | Yes | 8 | 9 | |||
| Dr Katz | 30 | Yes | 10 | ||||
| Corsodyl | 60 | Yes | 11 | 10 | |||
| Tantum Verde | 30 | No | 12 | ||||
| BreathRx | 30 | Yes | 13 | 9 | |||
| Daily Rinse | 60 | Yes | 14 | ||||
| Dentyl PH | 30 | Yes | 15 | ||||
| Sarakan | 20 | Yes | 16 | ||||
| Astring-O-Sol | 20 | No | 17 | ||||
| Lavoris | 30 | No | 18 | ||||
| Rembrandt | 60 | Yes | 19 | 4 | |||
| Gengigel | 60 to 120 | Yes | 20 | ||||
| Oral Essentials | 60 | Yes | 5 | 8 | |||
| TheraBreath | 30 | Yes | 3 | 11 | 10 | ||
| CloSYS | 60 | Yes | 5 | 3 | |||
| Jason Natural | 20 to 30 | Yes | 1 | ||||
| PerioBrite | 30 to 60 | Yes | 7 | ||||
| SmartMouth | 30 | Yes | 9 | ||||
| Tom’s of Maine | 60 | Yes | 11 | ||||
Based on the above, you may not be getting the full effectiveness of the mouthwash you are using if you are not rinsing for the prescribed about of time. I guess we have to tough it out folks and increase our mouthwash rinsing time . Good luck with that!