Why does Listerine burn?

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Why does Listerine burn?

Having long and lasting fresh breathe is very important especially when you work with a lot of people. Nothing is more embarrassing than having bad breathe while talking. Which is why more and more companies are selling mouthwash and toothpaste that promotes fresh breathe and has the ability to get rid of mouth bacteria.

One famous antiseptic mouthwash brand is Listerine. Joseph Lawrence and George Wheat Lambert first concocted this product in 1879. This was first tested by dentists in 1895 thus becoming the first ever mouthwash in the United States in 1914.

Listerine acts as an anti-septic. Whenever it cleans the oral cavity of the mouth, it leaves behind an anti-septic sensation. It doesn’t completely stops bad breathe because when you gurgle, you spit out the active ingredients along with your saliva.

Although it has a lot of benefits, most people complain about the burning sensation in their mouth everytime they use it. So what causes this burning feeling? Listerine contains various ingredients called isomers like eucalyptol, menthol, thymol and methyl salicylate which can be mild irritants to your skin but they are the ones who kill the germs. Listerine has around 26% ethanol weight per volume, which means it cannot actually kill all mouth bacteria completely. What it does is it dissolves these ingredients into your gums, teeth and tongue. A burning sensation can be felt whenever these active ingredients come in contact with your mouth and gum tissues.

In conclusion, what causes the stingy feeling in your mouth is the alcohol and other active ingredients contained inside Listerine. Despite of these side effects, Listerine is still an effective anti-septic mouthwash. If you can’t resist the stingy feeling, I suggest you try other mouthwash products that promote ‘no sting, formula.

Author: joanna

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2 Responses

  1. michael

    March 25, 2012 9:35 am

    If alchohol makes listerine burn, then why doesn’t jameson whiskey burn when you swish it in your mouth?

    Reply

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