Question about saltwater Rinsing

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#1 Post by **Gennel** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:57 pm

I do the saltwater rinses about 2 times a day now. I wonder if you do the final rinse with freshwater? I usually rinse with 6 oz. of warm saltwater but always at the final rinse I just spit it out and keep that salty taste in my mouth which sucks. Will I still get benefits of saltwater rinsing if I do the final rinse with fresh water and spit it out? Know what I mean?
I swish the saltwater around for about 20 seconds and repeat that until I use the 6 oz.

Do you guys do a final freshwater rinse and spit it out?

Gennel

#2 Post by **fitchick** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:23 pm

Well I don't do a final freshwater rinse. Actually I'm not needing to do them at the moment, but while I was, I just put up with the salty taste in the hope that what's horrible usually works!

Julie

#3 Post by **swan** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:56 pm

I always do a final rinse with fresh water. I think the saltwater works while you are doing the rinsing. No need to suffer afterwards, as far a I know...

#4 Post by **Jillianleab** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:16 pm

I suffer through the salty aftertaste - at least for a little while. I figure the longer the salt is in my mouth the more it's helping. If the taste bothers you, could you try using a bit less salt in your mix?

#5 Post by **JayC** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:11 pm

how come ppl think its sooo bad.. its not like its bitter or sour.. its just salty

#6 Post by **Jillianleab** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:21 pm

how come ppl think its sooo bad.. its not like its bitter or sour.. its just salty

I don't think it's terrible, but I prefer to have that nice, "minty fresh" feeling after I go through the OTT cleaning process!

Feels like a reward!

But, on the flipside, the healing properties of the saltwater make me do it.

#7 Post by **Gennel** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:33 pm

I agree. It's not terrible but I love that minty fresh clean feeling and smooth clean teeth! I just leave the salt taste in my mouth but on my last saltwater rinse of the night I do rinse with fresh water...

Gennel

#8 Post by **Lisa65** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:39 am

I have to rinse with fresh at the end, I can't stand the taste of salt. Even rinsing with it is bad enough - no way would I leave it in there afterwards!

#9 Post by **mad_scientist** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:13 am

Hey, a topic that I know something about! I knew my chemistry degree would come in handy someday!

Salt water rinses work through the process of osmosis - the movement of water from a lower salt concentration (in the mouth tissue and inside the cells of germs in the mouth) to a high salt concentration (in the rinse). The drawing out of water kills germs and reduces the swelling of the tissue.

The question of whether or not you can rinse with fresh water afterward depends on how fast the osmosis works. Unfortunately, I haven't come across a definitive answer on the speed of osmosis. If it's fast, then rinsing with fresh water shouldn't decrease the effectiveness of the salt water rinse. If it's slow, then fresh water rinsing might not be a good idea.

I guess ideally you should not rinse with fresh water afterward, to avoid the whole fast/slow osmosis issue altogether (for the record, my dentist says not to rinse afterward). But if the taste of salt keeps you from rinsing with it, a fresh water rinse might be in order. After all, it's probably better to have a slightly less effective rinse than none at all.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I hope the info helps.

#10 Post by **Gennel** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:36 pm

It makes sense to me. What I will do instead of a freshwater final rinse I will do a final rinse with less salt so the taste is not as strong .

Gennel

#11 Post by **mad_scientist** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:00 am

No problem, KK.

I used to teach college-level General Chemistry. I guess I just can't help giving a lesson every now and then!

#12 Post by **nvcarissa** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:32 pm

mad_scientist - I've never used salt rinses for my irritations from my braces, but do you think it might help with the residual swelling from my surgery? Or is that swelling too deep into the tissue to make any difference?

#13 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.

#14 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...

#15 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.