Nice taste but doesn't seem that effective (Colgate Plax Mouthwash Cool Mint)

Member Name: dippykitty

Product:	Colgate Plax Mouthwash Cool Mint
Date:	22/10/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Minty taste is nice

Disadvantages: Doesn't seem to remove plaque, taste goes away quite quickly

Ordinarily I use either Dentyl mouthwash or an own brand variety as I've never got on with the likes of Listerine and find it too harsh. I picked up a couple of bottles of this Colgate mouthwash on a recent trip to Poundland as they were £1 per bottle. The bottles are about half the size of a typical mouthwash bottle (and considerably smaller than the product image that you can see above) but a bargain nonetheless.

***The Taste***
As I've already hinted, I can't use Listerine mouthwashes as the minty flavour is too intense for me and makes my tongue tingle too much. Fortunately, the fresh mint flavour of this mouthwash isn't overwhelming and just offers a pleasant minty taste that makes my mouth feel fresh and clean. There is a bit of a tingle when using this mouthwash but nothing as uncomfortable as the Listerine so it's a thumbs up from me on that front.

***The Results***
This isn't one of the mouthwashes that claims to show you the results in the sink, so it's difficult to say with any certainty how effective it is. My mouth certainly feels a lot cleaner and fresher after using this morning and night, which I inititally took to be a good sign. However, on closer inspection in the mirror, my teeth still looked as though there was some plaque remaining so it can't have done as good a job as I first thought!

Another thing that I will dispute is the 12 hour claims. I've seen this same claim on a variety of different mouthwash brands but none of them seem to actually live up to the hype. The freshmint taste disappears quite quickly after usage, certainly within half an hour or so, so I'm sceptical as to whether it really does fight plaque and bacteria for this long.

***Overall Verdict***
The fresh mint taste is pleasant enough and it leaves a nice sensation in your mouth for a while but I'm not convinced that this mouthwash is particularly good or effective as it doesn't seem to remove excess plaque that hasn't been removed by my toothbrush. Seeing as that is a big factor in why I'm using a mouthwash in the first place, it's disappointing and I'm glad that I didn't have to pay full price or I'd be quite cheesed off that it's only an average mouthwash.

Summary: Not the best mouthwash and less effective than some own brands