 Hello everybody, Andrea here with dental L. I have been a dental professional for about 17 years now and I do have my own dental hygiene practice. A common question that I get from patients are what's the best toothpaste? What's the best mouthwash? There are several, more than three, but I'm going to talk to you what are the best ones? So this is a secret, the dental hygiene secret, the dental professional secret. I'm going to talk to you guys about in general, what are the best ones? Of course it does depend on many factors. Please consult with your dental hygienist if you want to know more specifically to your case, because it does depend. Do you have thin enamel? Do you have cold-sensitive teeth? Do you get a lot of cavities? Do you not brush every day? So it does depend on a number of things, but again, overall, we're going to keep this video simple and I'm going to give you guys the best. What is the best overall? So toothpaste, I suggest just go to the store and get what's on sale. Yes, I said it. Make sure though that your toothpaste does include sodium fluoride. Check the back, it might even say at the front, but check the back and make sure it is sodium fluoride, not stannous fluoride. Stannous fluoride can help really promote stains. Nobody wants their teeth to stain. So stick to sodium fluoride, that's the key. Get the one that's on sale. Now, when I see patients, I let them know what toothpaste is better for them. So if they get a lot of cavities, if they're cold-sensitive, if they admit to not brushing twice a day, I might suggest a different type of toothpaste for them, because there are different toothpaste that are specific for all of those issues. But in general, get any toothpaste you want that's on sale, but make sure it has sodium fluoride, because the best kept secret is, if you're brushing well, it's that mechanical action of the toothbrush, the movement of the toothbrush that is really doing the best job possible. Does that make sense? So if you're not using any toothpaste and that mechanical action, you're still doing a great job, but I will always prefer toothpaste, because toothpaste, I say it's like vitamins for the teeth. It's just going to add more in there. So you really do need toothpaste. Mouthwash, what mouthwash is the best? So mouthwashes are different. Not all mouthwashes are made equivalent. So you want to get one that's antibacterial. Scope, I don't mean to mention companies, you guys. There are other ones, but scope is just well known. It is not antibacterial. So it's not harming you, but it's just basically making your breath fresh for like 10 seconds. That's all it does. You want an antibacterial mouthwash. To take it a step further, I like a mouthwash that includes also sodium fluoride and xylitol. Can you guys see that? Probably not. And xylitol and a neutral pH mouthwash. Any companies that I'm talking about, I'm not being paid by them just so you know, this is a personal preference. So your mouthwash, look for xylitol, sodium fluoride and neutral pH. It's hard to find. So I'm going to leave some links for you guys down below to find them, but if you don't have them in your area, just go to the store and take your time to look at the back of the mouthwash bottles, sodium fluoride, xylitol and a neutral pH. And I'll give you a quick recap on why. Sodium fluoride helps to protect the enamel and against cavities. Everybody needs that. Even if you're not cavity prone, you need sodium fluoride. Xylitol helps to limit the bacteria in the mouth. If there's limited bacteria, you're not going to have bad breath. You're not going to get cavities. You're not going to get as much plaque and you're not going to get as much tartar. Everybody needs that. Kids, adults, it doesn't matter. Everybody needs that. And a neutral pH means just kind of how it sounds. It's a neutral pH. So it's not overly acidic. Yes or no. Some mouth washes, they're not acidic, but they're more harmful because they might include alcohol in the mouth washes. For most people, alcohol is fine, but it can really promote lack of saliva. So your mouth might just feel kind of funny. The insides of your cheeks might sort of get an irritation. So I tell people to avoid mouth washes with alcohol if you can help it. And a quick note, if you want something cheaper and something to make at home, saltwater rinses as a mouthwash are amazing. So one teaspoon of salt and a cup of warm water swish with that every night, every morning, you are really helping to promote a healthy mouth. It doesn't help the teeth though. Like it doesn't include fluoride. It doesn't add any benefits, but it will help to promote the healthy mouth by just basically, if you have a sore mouth, if you get something stuck in the teeth, if you have a canker sore, it can kind of help against that. For most patients, if they just send me a quick message and say, I think I have something stuck in my teeth or my gums are kind of sore or my gums are bleeding a bit more, I tell them to rinse with saltwater for a couple of days and they always tell me, wow, that cleared it right up. So that's a cheap method for you. So those are kind of the basics. If you guys have any questions, let me know, but please consult with your own dental professional because they can tell you more specifically for your mouth. So let me know, you guys, if you have any questions, please click like to this video if you like it and I'll talk to you guys in the next one.