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Listerine Listerine Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash (Fresh Mint) 1 Litre
by sparkle1004
Looking after my teeth is important to me and the fact that I'm nearly 29 and have no fillings is something that I am really proud of. I brush, floss and use a mouthwash twice daily and my most recent mouthwash that I tried was the Listerine Total Care Antibacterial Mouthwash.
What does the product do?
The product ... promises to clean and protect the mouth and to offer you six other benefits. It claims that it will reduce plaque while maintaining healthy gums and to strengthen your teeth against decay. It also claims to help to prevent tartar to keep the teeth naturally white and promises to give 99.9% of bacteria as well as keeping the breath fresh for up to 24 hours. It has been approved by the British Dental Health Foundation so you know that you can trust the product.
How do you use the product?
The product is to be used after you have brushed your teeth. It is most effective when you use it every morning and every evening. You are directed to pour 4 to 5 teaspoons of the liquid in a glass which is 20ml. I just pour some into the lid as using a glass seems a bit fussy to me! You need to swish it around your mouth for 30 seconds and the spit it out.
Packaging and Price
The product comes contained within a plastic bottle which is see through and you can see the pinky coloured liquid inside. The front sticker has a hologram on the front and it does look eye catching and pretty. The bottle has a black lid and you pinch the sides of the lid and twist it in order to open the bottle which stops children being able to open it. The product will cost you about £2.50 for 500ml of the mouthwash and it can be bought from stores such as Boots, Superdrug and Wilkinsons, large supermarkets and also from a range of online websites.
My Experience
I chose the Fresh Mint flavour. I'm not sure if other flavours are available in the collection. When you remove the lid, you can smell the product straight. It has a very smell almost like smelling salts with a minty kick. It certainly wakes you up in the morning! I pour a capful into the lid and then pour it into my mouth after brushing my teeth. It does burn my mouth because it's so strong and I know I find it really difficult to hold the product in my mouth for 30 seconds. It feels quite uncomfortable to me and I don't enjoy using the product.
I know my boyfriend doesn't have the same problem as me here and he actually enjoys using the product so maybe I have a sensitive mouth. It doesn't hurt my teeth, it's just an unpleasant sensation. When I spit it out, my mouth still tingles a bit and you can still taste it for a few minutes after. It does make your breath smell really fresh for quite a while, much longer than with brushing alone. I think 24 hours may be pushing it a bit though. My teeth do seem to be in a better condition after using this twice daily for a while although I can see a huge difference. I think it improves the health of the mouth rather than the appearance.
Conclusion
All in all, although I find the experience of using this one uncomfortable, I know it much be doing a good job because there's no way that bacteria would survive that process! It leaves my breath much fresher and for longer than brushing alone. I am happy with this product but next time I'll see if I find a slightly more gentle mouth wash. As I said my boyfriend is more than happy with it so maybe I just need to 'man up'!
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Listerine Total Care
by garymarsh6
Listerine total care.
Surprisingly Listerine has been around for well over a century and has been used for a variety of things and even to clean floors and treat the symptoms believe it or not of gonorrhoea although the concentrations were much higher. There were some wild claims that it prevented colds and coughs at some ... stage of its life but the company was banned from using such claims as they were not proven.
I have used various Listerine mouth washes for as long as I can remember. Not only does it leave your mouth feeling fresh and clean it also guards against bad breath. I am a smoker so it is quite useful addition to my oral care.
After brushing my teeth and flossing I tend to use the mouth wash just as a precaution as dentists reckon that a mouth wash will help kill off the hard to reach bacteria in the mouth that is left behind after brushing. It also has the added benefit of reducing plaque by killing off the bacteria in the mouth.
To be honest I am not that keen on this Listerine due to the alcohol in the mixture which tends to make my mouth sting slightly. I tend to alternate this mouthwash with Listerine total care zero mouthwash that contains no alcohol. Not only that there is some evidence which suggests that it might be a precursor to oral cancer. I am rather taken by the colour of this mouthwash as it is a purple colour and I find it quite attractive.
After using it I always feel that my mouth is really clean and fresh and I feel quite confident in going out without worrying if my breath is slightly stale. I tend to use it twice a day once when I get up and also prior to going to bed although I do find that it is rather too strong to be honest.
It is supposed to work in six different was.
1. Kills bacteria in the mouth.
2. Reduces plaque formation.
3. Provides 24 hours fresh breath protection.
4. Maintains healthy gums.
5. Helps keep teeth naturally white.
6. Strengthens teeth.
Ingredients include water, alcohol, sorbitol, aroma, Poloxamer 407, benzoic acid, zinc chloride, Eucalyptol, Methyl Salicylate, Sodium Saccharin, Thymol, Menthol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Fluoride, Sucralose, Benzyl alcohol.
I usually buy mine from Asda and last week I bought two 500 ml bottles that are currently on offer for £6 instead of £4 each.
Would I recommend it?
Yes I do recommend Listerine total care although I prefer the Listerine total zero because it contains no alcohol and does not sting quite as much. My mouth always feels quite clean and fresh after using this and the good thing is that it is available in small packs of 95 mls to take on holiday too ideal for a weekend away so that you don't have to cart around a five hundred ml bottle.
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Listerine Total Care
by paulshorse
I must admit that I have a bit of an obsession with oral hygiene. Visiting the dentist doesn't really bother me (going for an appointment with my optician is a different matter - I am a nervous wreck) but if I can prevent cavities and the resultant drilling and filling, I will. A few years ago I had to have root canal treatment which was ... not particularly pleasant and after that I told myself I would take much more care of my teeth. I also have a 'thing' about bad breath. I find it offensive when someone talks to me and you almost reel back with the blast of bacteria that shoots from their mouths - it's something that I don't wish to inflict on others.
My dentist recommended Listerine to help keep down plaque (together with inter-dental brushes which I find very effective) and for a long time I bought the regular Cool Mint bottles. Then one day I found that Wilkinsons had all varieties on offer and so I decided to try Listerine Total Care because it did seem to give added protection and benefits.
It comes in a 500ml clear, hard plastic bottle and the liquid is a purple colour - a rather similar hue to methylated spirits, which is a bit off-putting at first. The label on the front claims that it is 'The Most Advanced & Complete Listerine', with 6 benefits in 1 and that it's approved by the British Dental Health Foundation.
The label on the back gives you instructions:-
To open the bottle you need to squeeze the sides of the black plastic cap (the area to squeeze is actually smooth whereas the rest of the cap is ridged) and turn it.
Pour 20ml (or 4 x 5ml teaspoons) of the mouthwash into a glass, rinse around the teeth and gums for 30 seconds, then spit it out. I actually use the cap for this, rather than a separate glass.
It also says that it is especially effective when used morning and evening after brushing.
The benefits are claimed to be:-
Reduces plaque
Maintains healthy gums
Strengthens teeth against decay
Prevents tartar to help keep teeth naturally white
Kills up to 99.9% oral bacteria in lab tests
Up to 24 hour fresh breath protection
I tend to take claims like this with a pinch of salt and for me the proof of whether a product works is to use it personally. 'Kills up to 99.9% oral bacteria' to me means anything from 0.1% to 99.9%, and 'up to 24 hour fresh breath protection' could mean from 1 minute to 24 hours. So does it work?
All I can say is that since using this mouthwash I've not had to have any dental work done at all. I've not noticed any build-up of plaque and my mouth does feel fresher for longer (I wouldn't say it stayed fresh for 24 hours though). However, when you use it you will find that it's very strong tasting. I don't know whether it's the alcohol, Benzoic acid, fluoride or some other ingredient, but you get an almost burning sensation. It's not too bad when you first take a mouthful, but after you've swished it around for a few seconds it seems to get stronger. After about 20 seconds I find that it does settle down a bit, but that first burning sensation can be alarming if you're not used to it. As for gargling with this, I personally wouldn't recommend it. There is a warning on the label not to swallow (I have actually managed to swallow some and I can confirm that it's not a nice experience - it did leave me almost vomiting). It's not suitable for children under 12 years of age and it should not be diluted or 'swigged from the bottle'.
At a price of around £4.40 for 500ml (you can get a smaller bottle of 250ml to try the product) it's certainly not cheap, but you can sometimes find it on offer. Tescos are currently selling the 500ml size at £2.20 and the 250ml bottle at £1.50. Boots and Asda both have an offer at the moment for 2 x 500ml sizes for £6.
I will certainly continue to use Listerine Total Care mouthwash because I've found it to be very effective and I'd definitely recommend it, but it may be too strong for some people.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
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