My Listerine mouthwash bottle directions says that for best results use twice a day after brushing. My toothpaste has 1450ppm fluoride, whereas the mouthwash is only 450ppm. Won’t using the mouthwash afterwards simply wash away the higher, more beneficial levels of toothpaste fluoride and replace it with lower mouthwash levels? What’s the reasoning for this advice?
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Mouthwash is for killing the bacteria in your mouth, not providing fluoride (although that is a secondary purpose in mouthwash that has fluoride). The reason they recommend using it *after* you brush is because the brushing from your tooth brush breaks up the plaque.
Plaque is a biofilm that some bacteria form to increase their odds of survival. It’s the equivalent of humans building houses to shelter themselves from the environment. When you break up the plaque you destroy the bacteria’s “house” and allow the alcohol in the mouthwash to make more direct contact with a higher percentage of bacteria.
This is also why it’s good to floss. If you never floss it’s the equivalent of never brushing one side of your teeth thus the biofilm between your teeth never gets broken up.
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