Put this on your list! (Listerine Total Care)

Member Name: madmum71

Product:	Listerine Total Care
Date:	27/09/08 (455 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It really works

Disadvantages: May make your eyes water

I have always tried to look after my teeth and will do anything to avoid the dentist! I have a dodgy wisdom tooth, which hasn't quite come, through my gum and every now and then it gives me pain. So I try to keep the area clean so I don't get any infections, I have tried various mouthwashes over the years but never really felt they were living up to their claims I even used that one (can't remember the brand!) that shows you the plaque in a different colour when you spit out!

A friend of mine recommended this one and said it was the best she had ever used, I decided to give it ago just to prove her wrong!

COMPANY HISTORY

Listerine was first formulated in1879 by Dr Joseph Lawrence and Jordon Wheat Lambert and believe it or not was originally formulated as a surgical antiseptic! It has also been used for quite a few other things before it became the mouthwash we know today, the best being a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea!
It wasn't until the 1920's that it became a success as a mouthwash, the Listerine Company basically created the term halitosis and informed every one that this mouthwash was the cure and of course everyone decided they had this new terrible condition and rushed out to buy a bottle of Listerine, clever when you think about it!

They did get in trouble in 1976 as the Listerine people claimed that the mouthwash could help ease sore throats and as a remedy for colds but there was no proof of this and they were forced to drop this and to tell people in their advertising that this was not true. The Listerine brand has certainly stood the test of time and has added a number of different mouthwashes to its range has is now a definite house hold name.

PRODUCT STATEMENT

The most advanced and complete Listerine that has 6 benefits in 1. Used twice daily total care Listerine is proven to clean and protect with 6 benefits of oral health:
Reduce plaque, prevent tartar to help keep teeth naturally white, maintain healthy gums, kills up to 99.9% oral bacteria in lab tests, strengthen teeth against decay and up to 24-hour fresh breath protection.

PACKAGING

All the Listerine bottles come in the same sizes either 500ml & 250ml, they also seem to look the same except for the different colour labels for the different ones in the range. This one has a clear bottle that looks a bit flat and you can see the colour of the mouthwash, which is a pinky colour as it is the clean mint one, which I have to say clashes with my blue bathroom! The lid is a basic screw black one which you can pour the mouthwash into if you want.

USING

The directions do state that this product is most effective when used in the morning and evening after brushing, you have to use 20ml and rinse it around your whole mouth for about 30 seconds then spit it out.

So that's what you are supposed to do and because I am such a good girl I followed the instructions! The first thing to tell you about is the smell, to put it politely don't sniff it too much as it made my eyes water! It does smell very antiseptic and could proberly assist in a minor operation!

I then dutifully measured out the 20ml I needed (yeah right!) who actually does that anyway! I poured what I thought was 20ml and then rinsed it around my whole mouth paying particular attention to the back of mouth where my wisdom tooth is. At first when you start rinsing its ok it just tastes a bit antiseptic but the longer you keep rinsing the stronger it gets. I can't really say exactly what it tastes like but it does taste very antiseptic mixed with mint and makes the whole bathroom smell like a hospital! (Well a clean hospital anyway!) I have managed to keep rinsing for the whole 30 seconds with my eyes watering! But all joking aside the more you use this product the more you get used to it and the effects don't seem so bad.

After rinsing and spitting out (Gross!) my teeth and gums feel very tingerly (is that a word?) but the best feeling is they feel very clean in fact I would go as far to say squeaky clean.

As for the 6 benefits I can say that I have noticed that my teeth have certainly benefited, it does seem to reduce plaque and I can sort of feel that on my teeth. My gums certainly feel healthier to the point where before I started using this mouthwash I could suffer from bleeding gums but since using this product that has completely stopped. It certainly does help to keep your breath fresh not that mine didn't smell sweet before using! I can't say that I have noticed my teeth being any whiter but people are now wearing sunglasses when they talk to me! (Only joking!)

The best thing though I have benefited with though is the fact that since I started using it my wisdom tooth hasn't given me any trouble I have had no pain and the gum around the dodgy tooth hasn't swollen at all. So it must be doing some good then.

INGREDIENTS

Aqua, Alcohol, Sorbitol, Aroma, Poloxamer 407, Benzoic Acid, Eucalyptol, Methyl Salicylate, Thymol, Menthol, Sodium Fluoride, Zinc Chloride, Sucralose, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, CI 16035, CI 42090, Contains Sodium Fluoride (0.022% w/v 100 ppm F).

PRICE & RANGE

Total care mouthwash 250ml ... £2.19

Total care mouthwash 500ml ... £4.19

I have usually buy the bigger size and this seems to last about a month, these also to go on promotion a lot so I stock up then.

WOULD I BUY AGAIN?

I can safely say hand on heart that yes I do buy this product regularly, I seem to try and stock up if it is on offer. As I have said it really does seem to work especially for my gums and the wisdom tooth problem, I have now got used to the taste and smell and it doesn't really bother me anymore although the other half tells me constantly that I have stunk the bathroom out after using the mouthwash and moans that the house now smells like a bloody hospital! Personally I would rather it smell like a hospital than of him!
Property of madmum71 &lisa8871

Summary: A great mouthwash