do i need to rinse my mouth with water after i use listerine?

Answer 1

Do not use Listerine at all. Sorry Pfizer!!!
Listerine original formula has almost 26.9% alcohol in it which makes it almost 54 proof. This is more than the wine you drink. The alcohol dries up your mouth so although Listerine temporarily might give you the sensation of a fresh breath but in the long run by drying the mouth it promotes the growth of bacteria causing halitosis (bad breath).
The recent studies shows you do not need the alcohol in the mouth wash anyways to help to fight the bacteria.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2005.00675.x
The alcohol in the mouth wash also softens the tooth colored fillings you have in your mouth and dulls the color of porcelain restoration (veneers, bondings) you might have.They fail faster.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7999290&dopt=Citation
If you have recently whitenned or bleached your teeth, the drying effect of the alcohol and the coloring in the mouth wash discolors your teeth.
So if you are using Listerine to get a fresh breath switch to a alcohol free mouth wash like Crest pro health or Tom's of Main alcohol-free mouth wash or Breath Rx. If you are using it to help gum disease or gingivitis, brush, floss and ask your dentist for a prescription mouth wash.
http://www.nwsmilespecialist.com

Answer 2

If you rinse it out too fast, it will not do the job that it is intended for. If you use listerine and then immediately rinse then there is really no point to using it. The longer it stays in your mouth, the longer it will be fighting the bacteria that cause periodontal disease! This should be the last step in your oral hygiene routine. The same applies if you use a fluoride rinse, to get the best result, you shouldn't rinse out afterwards. As someone said previously, if listerine tends to give you that burning feeling, then either dilute it with some water or switch flavors, some of the other flavors tend not to give you that burn. Also Crest has a product as effective as Listerine at combating bacteria that does not burn (Crest Prohealth Rinse...or something like that). I hope that this is helpful!

Answer 3

I asked my dental hygienist the same question because Listerine seems really sugary to me, and she said no. However, if the Listerine is too strong for you, you can dilute it by 1 part water to 2 parts Listerine (as per my dental hygienist).

Answer 4

listrine got alcohol, it dries out the mouth...thats why u need to put some water..use crest instead..no alcohol

Answer 5

no, because it will remove it listrine that you swished in your mouth....and listrine won't kill you so why rinse it out? its still killing germs as some of remains inside yr cheeks and stuff...

Answer 6

No but it helps stop the burning.

Coach

Answer 7

Only if you don't like the taste.