Question about saltwater Rinsing

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#16 Post by **ghotieyes** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:33 am

I used to use a fresh water rinse afterwards, but decided not to so osmosis can be at work for as long as possible. (I'm a chemical engineer, mad_scientist

) But I'm always wondering how much extra sodium I'm taking in by not rinsing out the salt, esp if I'm using salt water 3-4x a day.

#17 Post by **payoki** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:59 pm

I not only rinse with salt water but I also dab some on my finger and rub my gum gently with salt. I'm not sure of its benefit but my mother said it's good for my gum...

#18 Post by **mad_scientist** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:09 pm

But I'm always wondering how much extra sodium I'm taking in by not rinsing out the salt, esp if I'm using salt water 3-4x a day.

Interesting question, ghotieyes! My guess is that you probably don't ingest much of the salt because 1)you spit most of it out with the rinse, and 2) I think the rinse only works on the uppermost layers of the mouth tissue, so the salt may not get far enough into the tissue to enter the bloodstream.

I've never heard of any doctor who cautioned someone against salt water rinses due to sodium issues. I would think they would make sure to do that if it really was a problem.

I'm not a medical doctor, so I don't know for sure - just an educated guess. If you're really concerned, you should ask your doctor.

nvcarissa, I don't think the rinses work for deep tissue swelling. I've never experienced persistent swelling after oral surgery, just the typical swelling that happens a day or two afterwards and goes away in a week, so I don't know of anything that works for that kind of problem.