You might have any number of things you like to do for pain relief when you’re experiencing tooth pain from a toothache or have a mouth ulcer. Maybe you like the feeling of an ice pack on your face as a cold compress to soothe pain. Or perhaps you have a preferred over-the-counter solution, like a topical gel or cream.
But have you ever heard of mouth rinses for toothaches and mouth sores? And no, we’re not talking about the mouthwash you might use before or after brushing in the morning and at night.
Some oral mouth rinses have ingredients that help to soothe pain from toothaches, cankers sores, and other dental pain. We’re going to give you a breakdown of what these ingredients do. We’ll also discuss other benefits of mouth rinses, the difference between antibacterial and antiseptic mouth rinses, and which Orajel™ mouth rinse formula might be right for you.
Mouth Rinse Benefits to Consider
You might associate mouthwash with helping to freshen your breath. But oral mouth rinses can provide even more value. If you haven’t used an oral mouth rinse before, there are several benefits to doing so:
- Pain Relief: Oral mouth rinses for toothaches and canker sores can help provide temporary pain relief by helping soothe your gums and teeth. For example, Orajel™ Toothache Rinse is the first and only double-medicated mouth rinse for temporary relief of pain due to toothaches and minor irritation of the mouth and gums. It can also help soothe irritation from sore throats.
- Freshen Your Breath: Oral mouth rinses can help to freshen your breath and target bad-breath bacteria. Orajel™ Toothache Rinse helps to kill odor-causing bacteria in the mouth.
- Holistic Cleaning: Many oral mouth rinses can help provide thorough cleaning in hard-to-reach areas. This may differ from other formats you use for oral pain relief, as things like gels or creams are often only applied directly to the affected areas.
Additionally, Orajel™ For All Mouth Sores Antiseptic Rinse, which can help promote the healing of mouth sores and can help relieve pain from canker sores in the mouth. This mouth rinse for ulcers also helps soothe cheek irritation caused by braces. Plus, it comes in an alcohol-free formula that can help ease gum irritation.
Now, how do oral mouth rinses differ from what you might think of when you hear the word “mouthwash”?
What is the Difference Between Mouthwash and Oral Mouth Rinse?
Mouthwash and oral mouth rinses are sometimes considered the same thing. However, some mouthwashes have short-term benefits (cosmetic), while oral mouth rinses may have a more lasting effect (therapeutic).
The classification of whether a mouthwash or mouth rinse is labeled “cosmetic” or “therapeutic” largely depends on the active ingredients, according to the American Dental Association (ADA).
Orajel™ Oral Mouth Rinse Ingredients
The mouthwash formulas you might know contain fluoride as the featured active ingredient. But mouth rinses for dental pain, like Orajel™ mouth rinses, feature different active ingredients that can help target toothache pain or help speed up the healing process for mouth ulcers like canker sores.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is an antiseptic that can help clean and promote the healing of canker sores while also easing irritation from dental pain due to things like poorly fitting dentures and cheek bites. It does so by helping to kill harmful bacteria in the mouth. Additionally, hydrogen peroxide (in oral mouth rinses) can serve as an oral debriding agent that helps remove plaque and reduce gum inflammation. In this way, mouth rinses or mouthwashes with hydrogen peroxide may be ideal for people with gingivitis or hoping to avoid gingivitis.
Orajel™ For All Mouth Sores Antiseptic Rinse features hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient. Both Orajel™ For All Mouth Sores Antiseptic Rinse formulas have a Soothing Mint flavor that will leave your mouth feeling refreshed.
Zinc Chloride & Benzyl Alcohol
Zinc Chloride is an inorganic compound that is easily soluble. It’s possible you recognize Zinc Chloride as an ingredient from your cosmetic products, like concealer or foundation. But it’s also a common ingredient in mouthwash and can help provide temporary relief of occasional minor irritation, pain, sore mouth, and sore throat.
Benzyl Alcohol is a colorless liquid that, like Zinc Chloride, is also soluble in water. It is a common ingredient in moisturizers that helps act as a preservative in skin care. In, mouthwashes, Benzyl Alcohol helps serve as a temoporary oral pain reliever.
Orajel™ Toothache Rinse contains Zinc Chloride and Benzyl Alcohol. Like Orajel™ mouth rinses for canker and other mouth sores, this formula also comes in a Soothing Mint flavor.
Menthol
Menthol is an analgesic that is commonly thought of as having a cooling sensation, making it a popular ingredient in things like toothpaste. But menthol is also featured in medications to help relieve pain by either reducing inflammation or influencing pain receptors to alter the way the brain perceives pain. Some studies have even shown that mouth rinses with menthol can improve physical performance in moderate- to high-intensity exercises in hot conditions.
All Orajel™ mouth rinses for toothaches and mouth sores include menthol as an active ingredient to help relieve dental pain.
Water
Water’s polarity of hydrogen and oxygen has helped give it the nickname as the “universal solvent.” In addition to menthol, all Orajel™ mouth rinses for toothaches and mouth sores use water as a solvent to help dissolve polar molecules and ions.
Antibacterial vs. Antiseptic Mouth Rinses
You may have noticed that Orajel™ canker and mouth sore rinses are referred to as “antiseptic.” How does that term differ from “antibacterial”?
Antibacterial mouth rinses typically target bacteria alone. Antiseptic mouth rinses, meanwhile, can help kill a wider variety of microbes – including bacteria and fungi. Antiseptic mouth rinses are also used to clean and disinfect, which is why many mouth rinses for ulcers are usually considered antiseptic.
How to Use Orajel™ Mouth Rinses
If you’re curious about how you use Orajel™ mouth sore rinses, it’s much like how you use any other mouthwash:
- Swish one-half capful (2 teaspoons) around the mouth and over the affected area(s) for at least 1 minute.
- Spit the liquid out and be sure not to swallow.
- Always reclose the mouth rinse bottle after use and store it in a cool, dry environment away from heat or sunlight.
You can use Orajel™ mouth rinses up to 4 times daily, including after meals or at bedtime, or specifically as directed by a healthcare professional. Adults and children over the age of 2 can use Orajel™ mouth rinses, but children under 12 years of age should be supervised during use. Consult a dentist or healthcare professional about using Orajel™ mouth rinses if your child is under 2 years old.
Try Orajel™ Mouth Rinses for Toothaches & Mouth Sores
Achiness and oral pain from mouth sores aren’t fun to deal with on a regular basis, which is why you probably want solutions that can help provide fast pain relief. That’s when you turn to Orajel™ mouth rinses.
The double medicated mouth rinse formula for toothaches can help relieve pain when you have emerging wisdom teeth. Alternatively, the antiseptic mouth sore rinses can help promote healing if you discover a canker sore after a dental injury.
Find the Orajel™ mouth rinse that best suits your needs so you can tackle oral pain anywhere, anytime!
