What's the deal with salt water?

[lainey]

Everyone on this forum keeps talking about warm salt water rinses being good in the first few painful days. I'm on day 2 and owwwwwwwwwww! is the only way to describe how my teeth feel!
My orthodontist didn't mention anything about salt water and I imagine it tastes gross.
Does it help with the pain or is it just to toughen up your mouth? Why is everyone so crazy about it?

[CelestialVoices]

I've used salt water rinses a couple times (although my mouth isn't getting cut up at all, strange eh?) but as far as pain meds go, I agree with Karen that you should add some into your regimen if need be. I use Aleve and it works great, lasts for 12 hours too. Good luck

[nimo]

I feel like I should mention that professional body piercers often recommend salt soaks on new piercings. Soap leaves residue that can hinder the healing process. Salt helps pull out the bad bacteria and oozy grossness associated with piercings, and the warm water just general feels really freakin' good on angry piercings. I used that method when I got my cartilage pierced, and it was fabulous. I'm not sure how it feels on mouth pain, but there wasn't enough salt in the water to make anything sting, just enough to do the job.

I'm thinking when I get my braces I'll just carry around a bottle of saltwater in case I feel the need to rinse at work or whatever.

[Raspberry]

I was told after my wisdom teeth were extracted to do salt water rinces after each meal and before bed. It really did help to heal my mouth. I'm also very prone to canker sores, and they really help to clear those up too.

[ingyandbert]

I haven’t had to take any pain medication. I took one prior to my installation as a preventative measure and that was all. I’ve been swishing with warm salt water twice a day and have no problem with cuts or sores in my mouth. I’m not even using wax anymore (not that I’ll never have to again) and it’s only Day 8. So my advice is to not worry about why it works, just use the sal t water.

[Betty Bat]

So, I'm a convert to warm salt water rinses, but I have a question that may sound dumb. If I brush after every meal and at bedtime and I rinse after every meal and at bedtime, then which should come first? It seems like the WSW rinse would make your mouth feel better after brushing, but does it "undo" the brushing?

[Tunkabean]

This was the first piece of advice a good friend of mine gave me when she heard I was getting braces 'lots and lots of warm salt water gargling'
I tried it on the 2nd night of braces and was shocked @ the results the next day... the healing was quicker with the sore and raw inner lips and cheeks....plus, it felt really good just rinsing with it.

Like betty asked, I also wonder when is the better time to rinse. But I don't think it will undo the 'clean mouth' effect of brushing. So I rather do it last thing before I hit bed... and maybe a few times during the night as well.

[Dee]

Salt is used widely in medicine. "Normal saline" (0.9%) is at or very close to the bodies' own concentration (often used to replace lost fluids in the form of an IV, or as a solution to irrigate and clean wounds without causing too much harm to the bodies own healing efforts).

Stronger solutions are used to "dry out" areas which are weeping. This works because salt is osmotically active, ie it will "draw" moisture from an exuding area.

Hope this info helps,
Dee

[ingyandbert]

I salt before I brush so that I brush the salt residue and taste away.

[Tunkabean]

I just rinsed with salt water and right after proceeded to put on some wax......it didn't seem to wanna stick so easily.

I'm guessing I should have rinsed out the salt water before.

Anyone experience this

[Tunkabean]

I just rinsed with salt water and right after proceeded to put on some wax......it didn't seem to wanna stick so easily.

I'm guessing I should have rinsed out the salt water before.

Anyone experience this

Don't do that Tunkabean ... make sure the salt is dissolved, rinse ... and then if you need to dry the bracket and put the wax on ... don't rinse again.

Read what linda21 has written above ... it explains clearly why you don't rinse the salt water away!

Good luck!

I agree...thats why I leave the salt water rinse. I guess drying the bracked before putting the wax is the better soloution. Thanks.

[Way Too Old For This]

Am I the only person who absolutely cannot rinse with salt water? I start gagging it if just touches my lips. Same thing happens when I go to the ocean. I love salty foods, but salt water.....yeccchhhh !!

That baking soda toothpaste is just as bad for me. And then there's that new toothpaste that tastes like vanilla. I'm sorry, I don't want my mouth to smell like food....thats what I'm trying to get rid of.

[weird_wired]

Am I the only person who absolutely cannot rinse with salt water? I start gagging it if just touches my lips. Same thing happens when I go to the ocean. I love salty foods, but salt water.....yeccchhhh !!

That baking soda toothpaste is just as bad for me. And then there's that new toothpaste that tastes like vanilla. I'm sorry, I don't want my mouth to smell like food....thats what I'm trying to get rid of.

Me too - I can't bear swilling with salt water. However I have found it seems to make ulcers heal more quickly, horrid though it is, and reduce pain somewhat.

My dentist cautioned me that baking soda toothpaste can be too abrasive for people with already-sensitive teeth, so I limit when I used it.

I do prefer a minty taste, but vanilla is also quite pleasant. Especially if you are going to be eating soon after - for example, you eat your first course, and get horrific food stuck all over that is really uncomfortable. So you pop to the bathroom to quickly brush. You could just use water, but it always feels nicer to use some paste: vanilla would be great here, as mint might overpower your next course. It's such a mild flavour.