JAKARTA - In maintaining dental and oral hygiene, it is not enough to just brush your teeth. You also need to use mouthwash or mouthwash, so that oral hygiene is better maintained.
Cosmetic dentistry specialist, Kourosh Maddahi, said that gargling with mouthwash is one of the most important oral hygiene routines at home.
It is worth noting that teeth only cover 24 percent of the mouth. The remaining 76 percent consists of the cheeks, tongue, base and palate. Mouthwash can help clean 100 percent of the mouth.
"In general, mouthwash is mainly used to freshen your breath. However, the overall cleaning action is much more important," said Maddahi, quoted from Glamour, on JUmat, February 6, 2026.
Therefore, the use of mouthwash is recommended every day. The best time to use it is after brushing your teeth and cleaning the interdental spaces with dental floss.
Maddahi suggests using a non-antiseptic mouthwash. This type of mouthwash is useful for freshening breath, reducing plaque lightly, and strengthening teeth.
For antiseptic mouthwash, it works to kill germs, bacteria, and fungi intensively. However, the use of antiseptic mouthwash is usually when there is a problem with the teeth or after treatment, and not for long-term use.
In addition, after using mouthwash it is recommended not to eat or drink for 30 minutes. This is done so that mouthwash works optimally in maintaining oral hygiene.
"It is best not to eat or drink for 30 minutes after gargling with mouthwash," concluded Maddahi.
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