Alcohol-Free Mouthwash: Safe & Effective Alternative

Some people consider using a mouthwash as part of their daily oral care routine, but are discouraged by the alcohol content. For some of these people, rinsing for the recommended length of time with an alcohol-containing product (many mouthwashes are about 20 percent alcohol) is uncomfortable. Others are worried about the fact that the 20 percent alcohol content is enough to cause illness in children or teens who experiment by drinking mouthwash. Also, some recovering alcoholics avoid mouthwash because the alcohol content has been shown to trigger a relapse.

But alternatives are available – you can find alcohol-free mouthwash that provides similar oral health benefits to a typical alcohol-containing product. Consider a mouthwash with CPC (cetylpyridinium chloride). This ingredient is found in many health care products and is used in Crest's Pro-Health Rinse. CPC has been shown to be safe and effective. In a mouth rinse, it binds to the surface of germs and causes them to burst, which helps reduce their build-up on the teeth.