Mouthwash | Fatal Conveniences™

Darin: It’s that time of the week for another fatal convenience. This is a bite-size segment that addresses some of society’s fatal conveniences and the steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of them. I define fatal conveniences as the things we may be doing because the world we live in makes us believe we have to, tap water, shampoo, sunglasses, food. I dive into the hidden truths behind some of our everyday choices that could not only be harming us but even killing us, so let’s dive in.

Darin: Hey, everybody, welcome to the show. I’m Darin Olien. This is The Darin Olien Show. And this is this special, powerful informational gathering fatal convenience. The next one, I am excited, really excited to let you know because 60% of the people in the world, at least in the western world, use mouthwash. That’s right, mouthwash. I’m sorry to tell you the chemically derived fake color-induced mouthwash is not the best for you.

For thousands of years, people have used variations of mouthwash to rid themselves of the potency that can come out of the mouth, the harmful bacteria to improve what, the smell and the taste of the breath. You know, formulas have changed. People have come up with all kinds of things, but they really are just looking for that convenience of I want to feel and taste fresh. But we’ve come to realize that antiseptics and all of these things pose problems for the bacteria. The chemicals create problems for the pH and the acidity, and there is a downside to mouthwash. There’s a cool history to it because obviously, we’ve been doing this for a long time but literally all the way back, a couple of thousands of years, the Romans would purchase, get this, would purchase Portuguese urine, high ammonium to purge themselves of bacteria in their mouth. Yes, they would swash and swizzle with ammonium from urine from the Portuguese. And actually, urine is a pretty good, clean disinfectant, but there are problems with that, and they actually used it to whiten their teeth, at least that was the idea. Then in the 12th century, the German philosopher, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, suggested that swishing pure cold water in the mouth can remove tartar and plaque. Not so sure that worked but hey, swishing is always probably a good thing. And in the 18th century, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, he is “The Father of Modern Microbiology.” He is credited with discovering oral bacteria. So Leeuwenhoek found that he could immobilize and kill oral bacteria by flooding the mouth with ammonia or alcohol.

And then in the 19th century, Joseph Lister, created Listerine. Joseph Lister became the first surgeon to perform an operation using tools sterilized with antiseptic. And then in 1879, Dr. Joseph Lawrence expanded on Lister’s antiseptic and created Listerine. Listerine was developed as a mouthwash for both cleaning the mouth and sterilizing surgical equipment. So they were using it for both things. In the 20th century, Listerine mouthwash became the first prescription product in the US to also be sold over the counter and marketed as an oral germ cleaner. They didn’t know much about the health, the pH, the acidity, the microbiological effect at that time. So keep that in mind. What makes it convenient, obviously, is it’s quick, it’s easy, you swish it around, you feel “cleaner” and refreshed, and it’s just temporary freshening of that breath. So hey, you know you’re going on that first date, a little swish, makes you feel better, makes you feel ready. But unfortunately, there’s a lot of people in the world that use mouthwash as an alternative to actually brushing their teeth or flossing. Of course, we know unless you’re using toothpaste with heavy metals, formaldehyde, and those kind of propylene glycol, all that stuff, that’s a bad idea. But you get my point that brushing your teeth is a really good idea and make sure you’re using dental floss that doesn’t have Teflon in it, which is also another fatal convenience. So, don’t use mouthwash, don’t replace your brushing your teeth, and also why you should care and the challenge is that it’s having on your microbiological system in your mouth.

As of November 2020, based on the US consensus data around National Consumer Safety, NACS, approximately 62% of the people in the US use mouthwash every morning as a part of their daily routine. When you use an antibacterial mouthwash, it kills all kinds of bacteria, even the good ones. Keep in mind, this is the second-largest area in your body that has microbiological activity. So you need it in balance. Again, just like the microflora in your digestive system, it needs to be in balance. It gets thrown off through stress, through over-the-counter drugs, antibacterials, glyphosate, all of that stuff. And so this presents an opportunity for hazard bacteria to spread and cause very intense oral problems that mouthwash can absolutely create by changing the environment. So examples of this are like the build-up of plaque, tooth decay, bad breath, and even infections. I think you’re starting to get now that when you zoom in on your body, you zoom in on soil, you zoom in on nature, you realize that these are micro-ecosystems that are part of the whole, then when they’re off, everything goes off. So just like a cell. And like I’ve said, with hydration all the time, if your cell is hydrated, you will be hydrated. If your cell is under duress and gets cancerous or diseased, you will eventually manifest into disease. So the same thing here is if you’re changing the environment of your mouth, which is the first defense of anything being put in your mouth, your mouth has to be a certain pH, your mouth has to have a certain balance of good and not so good bacteria in order to keep it balanced, in order to keep it defendable, in order to keep the enzymatic activity, also to help digest carbohydrates as you start eating. Now, if you’re throwing in and changing that balance, you’re going to create problems. So why are mouthwashes harmful? Well, like I said, bacteria are important throughout the entire body. The gut is the largest conglomeration of microbiological community and activity in the body. The oral microbiome is the second. So that’s containing all of these healthy bacteria. And if you throw off that system, it creates a cascade of dangerous outcomes. And this was a study done by Harvard, bacterial loss in the mouth disrupts the oral pH balance. As a result, you create a bacteria-free environment that is very acidic. Much of the cavity-causing bacteria such as S. mutans and L. bacillus, which are two types of bacteria, are acid-tolerant bacteria. By creating an acidic oral climate in your mouth, you introduce the potential for bad bacterial growth and eliminate the potential of good bacteria.

This was a study done by the National Institute of Health. Moreover, the calcium crystal in your enamel dissolves at a pH of 5.5. Most popular brands of mouthwash like Listerine, Scope, Crest are all at about the pH of 5.5 creating a bad situation. The acid in these products will eventually over time, especially people doing it every day as a ritual will eat away the tooth enamel weakening your teeth, as well as changing the microbiological system, increasing the acidity, and allowing for the susceptibility of decay and straining of this incredibly necessary and balanced ecosystem of your mouth and also creates a zone for unfriendly bacteria to come into your mouth and you will be less defendable of those unfriendly bacteria.

Also, to add to it, the artificial food dyes are used in many of the popular over-the-counter mouthwashes. And this was a study done by Oregon State. Everything’s in the show notes. You know that cool mint Listerine that looks cool and minty? It contains dye green number three, which has been linked to bladder cancer. And then original Scope contained yellow number five made from a derivative of coal tar. And blue number one has been connected to cancer in many of the animal tests that have been done. So this is a big problem, especially, think about this, the repetition of that convenience of just walking away with a fresh mouth, you’re doing it every day. You’re opening your mouth to chemicals and creating changes of the ecosystem, which is opening you up to all kinds of bad bacteria and will manifest into all kinds of issues down the line.

So let’s talk about the changes to wean you off of that habit. So suffice to say, stop using these types of mouthwashes right now, period. Okay, that’s my point of view, you do what you want. You’re free to move about the cabin and make your own choices. I’m just here to give you the information. So brush your teeth, definitely and floss. And listen to fatal conveniences on making sure that using the right toothpaste and dental floss. And then wait about 30 minutes after a meal if you want to do that because then you get the fresh breath effect and everything else. Avoid all tobacco base, as well as alcohol all the time. Because again, that’s changing the bacteria balance in your oral hygiene. Stay hydrated, make sure to drink enough water. It really does help cleanse and create that zone. When you’re acidic and dehydrated, then the bacterial load gets thrown off. Eat a diet full, loaded, full of rich whole healthy fruits and vegetables. And please, please, please eat less meat because eating meat causes, and this was a great study by Harvard and the University of Michigan, that eating meat affects the teeth with decay and breeds harmful bacteria. Another reason why you don’t need to eat dead flesh as a protein source, my point of view and there are 40,000 research articles to back that up. So what else can we do? What are some other alternatives to avoid the ones with chlorhexidine phosphoric acid, and again, you’re gonna have to look this up in the show notes, cetylpyridinium chloride and alcohol. Avoid those things. So here’s a great thing you can do that’s been used for thousands of years, at least 10,000, that’s oil pulling. So oil pulling is a practice, put about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or I use extra virgin organic coconut oil that’s been used in– I’ve read it like I said in India forever, and you swish that around for about 10, 15, 20 minutes, and then you spit that out. Please don’t swallow that. And so that’s a great technique to create some good balance of healthy bacteria in your mouth and kill off the harmful bacteria without killing off the good bacteria. And again, we go back to ancient use over a long period of time, it’s natural, there’s no chemicals and we’re not gambling in that. So it changes, it gets rid of and keeps in balance that bad bacteria, gets that out, and increases the good bacteria. And then this biofilm that accumulates this type of plaque by this oil pulling, it keeps your teeth in balance. If you’re using these alcohols, it’s just killing. It’s like a forest that your clear-cutting. You don’t want to clear cut, you want to use nature and there’s always a way and there’s always a remedy and usually, it’s been used for a long time. There was a study about 60 adults showed that oil pulling with coconut oil for 10 minutes every day had comparable effects to Listerine in reducing the number of S. mutans, a plaque-producing bacteria and saliva in as little as two weeks. Okay. Boom! Oil pulling, hell, you can even put a drop of peppermint in there. It can be quite enjoyable and leave your mouth full of tingle and greatness. The benefit of oil pulling over this chlorhexidine is that the oil pulling does not kill the good bacteria. It just removes the bad. What a concept. So these are some great ways to change this dynamic in your mouth, really easy. It’s just switching one habit for a better habit, leaving the fatal convenience behind and then increasing a vital convenience that’s great for you, great for your mouth, and great for anyone that you get to kiss. So there you go. That’s a fatal convenience, a great one to implement in your life. Even if you’re not using mouthwash, this is really good for balancing out the bacterial load in your mouth and increasing the benefits and the health of your oral hygiene. Okay, I love you all. Have a great and powerful and beautiful super life kind of day.

Darin: Thanks for tuning in everyone. I hope that left you feeling inspired to take a closer look at the everyday choices you’re making and how they could be impacting your health and even the planet. If you want to learn more about life’s fatal conveniences, head over to fatalconveniences.com. You can sign up for the exclusive access to Fatal Conveniences episodes, news, insights, and more. And all this great stuff gets sent each week straight to your inbox, making it really easy. Now, that’s a convenience without the negative side effects. It only takes a few seconds to join. Just fill in the form and take that amazing step towards making better choices. Remember, small changes can have big impact. So, keep diving my friends, keep diving.