Tastes awful but does the job (Corsodyl)

Member Name: Tracy_1127

Product:	Corsodyl
Date:	01/04/09 (654 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: only the taste

At the end of January my partner visited the dentist because his gums were bleeding a bit while he brushed them. He got advised to see the hygienist but also told no appointments were available for a couple of months so he came home slightly worried about the mention of gingivitis.

Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums caused by bacteria in plaque, it can cause mild symptoms such as my partners (bleeding but no pain) or lots of pain, terrible odour and receding gums.

My partner came home and told me about this and his referral that could take months and I recalled a review I'd read here on Dooyoo about Corsodyl. See, Dooyoo really does work! We went to Boots and purchased a 600ml mint bottle of Corsodyl for £7.72 and read on the back he would need to use it twice a day for a month.

The active ingredient in Corsodyl is called chlorhexidine digluconate which is an anti-bacterial that also inhibits formation of dental plaque.

Corsodyl can be used for gingivitis, gum healing after dental treatment, mouth ulcers, oral thrush, denture sore mouth or general mouth hygiene. The instructions are to use a 10ml capful twice a day but to wait 5 minutes after using toothpaste and rinse mouth out well before use as toothpaste can stop Corsodyl from working. It also says Corsodyl may discolour the teeth and tongue while using it but this should go after you stop treatment.

Corsodyl has all the usual keep away from your eyes, children, ears (?) etc warnings and if it causes the inside of the mouth to peel to dilute it. It sounds pretty harsh doesn't it?

For gum disease you need to use a whole 600ml bottle which takes a month, for ulcers and thrush just as long as they take to heal plus 2 more days, for denture sore mouth soak dentures for 15 minutes twice daily and for use after dental treatment apparently we need to be advised by our dentist. It is used the same as standard mouthwash, fill a capful and wash your mouth around with it for 1 minute then spit it out.

So there's the facts and information. I read the label, can't really trust a man to do this and absorb the details, and instructed my partner how to use it. If anyone is thinking I haven't bothered to try this for the purpose of this review you're wrong, I have, twice to be sure I knew how it tasted.

It smells minty, like strong mouthwash, and you assume it will taste minty fresh. It doesn't. It tastes of very, very strong chemicals and there's barely a trace of the mint flavour in there. It's so strong it made my eyes water and I felt like it was burning my tongue. Once I'd spat it out I rinsed for quite some time with water to get rid of the "tongue on fire" sensation. But if that puts you off using it don't let it, this is a godsend for people with gum disease.

So my partner and I discussed how awful it tasted and I was thinking he probably wouldn't use it but he persevered. After a few days he complained of a metallic taste in his mouth that was constantly present. It does say on the label you can get a strange taste in your mouth but it goes away with continued use and it did just that. After a week or so he stopped mentioning it. When asked he'd forgotten about it so it had gone.

After a month I enquired if his gums still bled when he brushed his teeth and again he'd forgotten they ever did, I'm starting to think men should do the whole childbirth bit instead of women seeing as they forget ailments and pain so quickly! His gums were fine, they no longer bled and his sense of taste was completely normal again. He didn't get the burning tongue sensation he just thought it tasted awful so that may be my more sensitive mouth.

So overall it worked, it's not really expensive when you consider how long it lasts but it tastes foul! Let's be honest though would you rather have gum disease get worse or have a nasty mouthwash twice a day? I know what I'd prefer! We're both very pleased with the results, the hygienist appointment is still unconfirmed so I hate to think how bad it might have been by now without this mouthwash.

Highly recommended.

Summary: Thoroughly recommended