
Natural mouthwash: Does it work?
Botanical and natural products have seen a rise in popularity in many aspects of healthcare, including oral health. However, there still remains a certain cynicism around natural ingredients and products. Can they really be as effective as the synthetic alternatives cooked up by commercial companies?
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to this as we are constantly learning, discovering and rediscovering the benefits and disadvantages of both natural and synthetic ingredients. Where mouthwash is concerned, though, there is some interesting evidence emerging that natural is the way to go.
Does natural mouthwash work?
This depends very much on which one you are using and what you expect a mouthwash to do. A cosmetic mouthwash will do little more than rinse the mouth and freshen the breath. A therapeutic mouthwash can help to fight bacteria, reduce and prevent plaque, protect gums and keep a balanced pH and happy oral microbiome.
It is certainly possible to find an array of natural ingredients that can do just this. In fact, often natural ingredients have the benefit of causing fewer adverse reactions.
It has been proven through case studies that mouthwashes that contain alcohol (ethanol) can actually cause bad breath to worsen as it dries out the mouth. Similarly, chlorhexidine used for receding gums was found to cause staining and an increase in tartar amongst frequent users.
Natural alternatives to synthetic compounds such as aloe vera or ginseng were found to be just as effective and with the benefits of fewer adverse effects on both the mouth and the environment.
Does natural mouthwash fight bacteria?
This can depend on the ingredients. Some mouthwashes work mostly to refresh breath. Look for natural ingredients such as aloe vera, and botanical extracts that can fight plaque and bacteria. There are an ever-increasing number of studies to back up this claim. That is not to say that commercial mouthwashes don’t fight bacteria. They do, but some of the chemicals tend to be strong, and can potentially leave the whole mouth with damage to cheek and gum tissue.
Natural ingredients vs synthetic ingredients
Given the obvious benefits of natural mouthwashes, it begs the question; why even use synthetic ingredients?
Largely, this comes down to money. It is much cheaper to mass-produce mouthwash made of synthetic ingredients than it is to harvest them from organic plants. This inevitably has an impact on the environment in terms of toxic wastes and carbon emissions.
It could be argued that the existing cynicism surrounding natural products has been perpetuated by commercial manufacturers and used to generate mistrust in their overall effectiveness.
On the other hand, research in this area is relatively new and ongoing. It’s encouraging to see natural ingredients holding up to scientific scrutiny.
Should I use a natural mouthwash?
It is always worth looking at what ingredients are used in any of your oral care products. Whilst any adverse effects were minimal in comparison to commercial mouthwash, it’s important to take into account allergies and other health conditions.
The research leans very much towards natural mouthwash as the best choice for your mouth and for the planet!
Sources
Davis RH, Donato JJ, Hartman GM, Haas RC (1994) Anti-inflammatory and wound healing activity of a growth substance in Aloe vera. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc
Swathi Vangipuram, Abhishek Jha, and Mamtha Bhashyam (2016) Comparative efficacy of aloe vera mouthwash and chlorhexidine on periodontal health: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry
Bushra Karim et al, (2014) Effect of Aloe vera mouthwash on periodontal health: triple blind randomized control trial. Oral Health Dent Manag
Nadeem Jeddy, Shivani Ravi, T Radhika, and L J Sai, Lakshmi (2018) Comparison of the efficacy of herbal mouth rinse with commercially available mouth rinses: A clinical trial. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Let customers speak for us
from 1538 reviewsTeeth so clean and fresh. Great for gums even helps my ulcers heal quickly

The Mouthwash Cup and Toothpaste Spatula can be re-used for a long time.
This Essential Bundle can come with one of four different flavoured toothpastes. Mouthwash can be with or without fluoride. A good starter kit for beginners and nice to support a small business that specialises in dental hygiene.

I love the freshness of this , stored in a bottle so good for the environment. Love the minty taste and feels like it’s doing a good job . 👍

Have full sized Wintergreen &Mint but fennel is nicer flavour. Does clean teeth well and think teeth are a bit whiter as well. Had to stop for a bit as was getting dizzy spells and wondered if the essential oils. Will try again to see but overall happy so far

Great product, effective dental brushes & more environmentally friendly than plastic.

Great product, highly recommend

Love the toothpaste, great flavour. Much better than conventional toothpaste. My gums are better, teeth feel so clean and fresh.
I have both flavours and alternate.
Great product.

This is my favourite toothpaste. I’ve tried the others and always come back to the Original Fennel.

Brilliant toothpaste, if I could give it more than 5 stars I would, my teeth feel so clean and the feeling lasts all day, lovely taste, and having the glass jar is so much nicer, easier to see when you need to order more. I'm never going back to my old toothpaste.

Excellent stuff i used to get sensitive teeth and gums regularly now I don't and my mouth feels so much better and cleaner no nasty chemicals all natural

Tried fennel, original and charcoal and they are all perfect. Very happy with the quality of toothpaste ✨️🙏✨️

This toothpaste has a lovely taste. It leaves my mouth feeling clean and fresh.

Fresh minty flavour, I really like it. A bit pricy but no nasties.

I had been using another well known probiotic toothpaste for about a year when my daughter mentioned to me she was worried about how much her teeth where bleeding (she was using fluoride toothpaste) so I came across truthpaste and thought I would get a starter pack for us both, well my daughter with two days said the bleeding was getting much less and I too just love the way it leaves my mouth and teeth feeling, have recommended to a few friends already

With it being all natural ingredients it's been very good and cleaning the stains off my teeth, also my sensitive has improved while using this now on my 2nd jar

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