Shaken, not Stirred! (Dentyl pH Mouthwash)

Member Name: Meggysmum

Product:	Dentyl pH Mouthwash
Date:	25/06/09 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very mild flavour but great cleaning.

Disadvantages: What will it do to plastics?

I do not have the strongest teeth in the world but over the last couple of years I have gone out of my way to keep them as healthy as possible. I have always brushed regularly but now I floss and use a mouthwash as well. This routine has certainly helped my oral health and (touch wood!) my teeth have not needed major work for quite a while now. As I say I have been using mouthwashes regularly but I had become alarmed by the scare stories I had heard about the alcohol content being implicated in the development of some oral cancers. I have not investigated these stories thoroughly but I thought it would be wise to find an alcohol-free version when I purchased my next bottle.

Surveying the shelves in Boots and reading all the labels led me to select a bottle of mouthwash from the Dentyl ph range. These were all labelled alcohol free. I find some mouthwashes almost burn they are so strong tasting so I opted for the new product in the range which was ULTRACLEANSE with a freshmint flavour. The price was on a par with other branded products of the same size (about £3.70).

This Dentyl mouthwash is presented in a triangular shaped bottle. It is a lovely blue/green two-layered product that needs to be shaken well before use to mix the two layers. The cap is silver-grey and is used as the mouthwash measure as well. The product is suitable for anyone over six and has instructions for use on the back. It recommends that you shouldn't eat or drink for 30 minutes after using it, I presume to stop it being washed away from the gums before it has done its job. It does state "Avoid contact with any plastic." which suprised me, if it damages plastic what is it doing to my mouth?!

That evening I cleaned my teeth as normal. I then shook the bottle and half filled the cap. I used the product to rinse my mouth for about 30 seconds and then gargled a little (it suggests 30 seconds but I am not good and tend to choke!). I then spat it out. The adverts and the bottle encourage you to look to see the results in the sink to see how much "muck" they have removed from your mouth. I think this is a revolting idea so did not look at what I spat out.

Being used to the strong flavour of most mouthwashes I was very suprised at the taste of this. Upon opening the bottle these is a mild spearmint aroma but I felt there was almost no taste at all when I was using it as a mouthwash and I detected a slight hint of mint when gargling. I like the minty freshness (I sound like Donkey from Shrek!) that I normally get from mouthwashes so at first I was disappointed. However this product contains Bicarbonate of Soda which is a good cleaning agent. Although at first I thought the product was not doing its job when I ran my tongue around my teeth they felt lovely and clean and my whole mouth felt fresh without the burn!

I have been using this product regularly now for a week and I am converted! My mouth feels clean and refreshed but not overpowered by mint! The product claims to kill 99.9% of bacteria, I don't know if that is actually true but I certainly feel that my oral hygiene is good whilst using it.

I would certainly recommend this mouthwash, especially for people who find other products on the market just too strong.

Summary: Good mouthwash