mouthwash reacting with braces - green stuff

[bbsadmin]

Wow this is an interesting topic. I've never had a mouthwash result in stuff, but I haven't used the ones you guys are talking about.

Obviously an ingredient is reacting with the metal (that's my first guess).

Docs, do you have any clue about this stuff?
Should we write to Crest?
What should we do?

[mtbrncofn]

Wow this is an interesting topic. I've never had a mouthwash result in stuff, but I haven't used the ones you guys are talking about.

Obviously an ingredient is reacting with the metal (that's my first guess).

Docs, do you have any clue about this stuff?
Should we write to Crest?
What should we do?

My opinion is that it's not reacting with anything. I was experiencing this before I got braces. I guess that just means there's something wrong with me. I had my husband use our mouthwash and he had the same thing happen. It's just grosser now because it gets all hung up on my wires and brackets, and it's tough to get out!

I use Cepacol. I am going to try something different and see if I get the same result. I've noticed, from the posts on this thread, that there seem to be quite a few brands that are doing it....not just Crest.

[mtbrncofn]

I think it's the mouthwash. I tried a new one out (UK) called Dentyl. There are 2 varieties - pink and green. The pink one gives me pink stuff and the green one gives me green stuff! I think it really must be down to the active ingredients in the mouthwash. I've now gone back to my usual one.

See here? The "stuff" seems to always correspond with the color of the mouthwash. That's what's happened in my case too. Maybe some of us are just "stuff" prone.

[Chocoholic]

Hey Guys,

Yeah I started to experience the green stuff, it never happened before the braces went on, but it's not that bad, although I might try a different mouth wash, I hate the stuff, some taste awful even though it's meant to be minty.

[mtbrncofn]

So no one else has experienced it pre-braces?!

Great, now I'm just some kind of freak!

[Manda]

I haven't experienced the "stuff", I just wanted to vent about the mouth wash selection in my area. I've checked every possible store, Walmart, all the grocery stores, drug stores and department stores...there are basically 3 kinds of mouthwash available here...Scope, Listering and the stores own brand. I want to try the other kinds I hear about on here like ACT and the new Crest stuff...guess I'll just have to order it online, or take a shopping trip to the next city to find it.

[Neva]

The Crest Pro-Health has a little note on the back that if you use it just after brushing your teeth, to rinse thoroughly. My guess is that it's a reaction to the toothpaste you use or something along those lines, which is more likely to be trapped in your braces than it is for normal people. It happened to me the first time I tried the stuff, then I saw the note--the next time, I did an extra-thorough swishing with water first, then used it, and no gummy teal stuff sticking to my brackets after.

[yankee boy]

I thought the stuff was dead bacteria all bunched together. When you use it and spit it out you can see dark blue gooey spots in the rinse and thats the dead bacteria all bunched together to form the stuff. Some of it gets stuck on your teeth but its no big deal, I just leave it there it dissolves.

[tempskawt]

As much as I'd like to say that "it must be reacting with braces", I really think it's got to do with hygiene. Sorry for necroing this thread, but I had jaw surgery and couldn't brush the back of my teeth during recovery. All throughout having my mouth wired shut, I would use scope mouthwash and spit without any residual on my teeth. I'm past the stage where my mouth is wired shut, so I'm able to brush back there now. I *know* there's plaque back there because I can feel how rough it is (it's almost gone now, though). Anyways, after brushing, I mouthwash and get quite a bit of this gunk stuck on my braces the same color as the mouthwash.

It makes sense that it's plaque because a property of plaque is its stickiness. Mouthwash is supposed to unbind plaque from enamel, but it's probably not designed to do so to metal. So if there's enough plaque, I'm almost certain it collects together on metal or bits of food enough to be noticeable

[mrscetrone]

Yes, it happens every time for me. Sometimes it's a little, sometimes it's a lot. I always thought with the fluoride it was brightening the plaque still left behind. I use a proxa brush to further clean them.

[cdmoses6]

I agree with Neva. This happened to me after I had very thoroughly brushed and cleaned my braces. The bottle says you are supposed to rinse the toothpaste out of your mouth before you swish. It's the mouthwash reacting with the film of toothpaste still stuck on your brackets. It's NOT plaque. Unless you are using a mouthwash that specifically highlights plaque like some kids mouthwashes do.

Want to prove it? Swish with your mouthwash BEFORE you brush your teeth. If nothing happens then it can't be reacting to plaque, because there's definitely some in there before you brush. If it still gums up, then I guess we are back to square one

[EWUgal15]

Want to prove it? Swish with your mouthwash BEFORE you brush your teeth. If nothing happens then it can't be reacting to plaque, because there's definitely some in there before you brush. If it still gums up, then I guess we are back to square one

This is what I do! I switched from Act to Crest Sensi-Care and I noticed bits of "stuff". I usually floss, use an interproximal brush and mouthwash to scrub between and around brackets under the wire, then swish with mouthwash beforeI brush. I don't see a ton of "stuff" but I do see some. At first I assumed it was food bits, then I remembered that I had glanced at this thread...I haven't read the label yet, but I will have to do that in the morning...but I wouldn't say we're back to square one...

[bbsadmin]

Wow, do you realize that the original question was posted 10 years ago???!!! And people are still having problems with this mouthwash! You'd think that they would do something about it, eh?

[EWUgal15]

I took my mouthwash to the orthodontist and asked about it. She had no idea. The bottle is not expired and there's nothing floating in it. She checked the ingredients and couldn't pin point anything right away that might cause this to happen. I did see some information on the Crest website about their Pro Health line:

"Some consumers may notice blue specks in their sink after spitting out Crest Pro-Health Rinse Refreshing Clean Mint Flavor.

The blue dye in the mouthwash can bind to germs in your mouth, making them more visible when you spit into the sink.
Some consumers find that running water in the sink before spitting out the rinse helps prevent the blue specks from sticking."

And, in case anyone was wondering, I also saw this about the same mouthwash:

Like all mouthwashes that effectively fight plaque and gingivitis, Crest Pro-Health Rinse can contribute to temporary, surface-level brown tooth discoloration, which is reported by a small percentage of individuals.

Tooth discoloration could actually be one indication, in some people, that the product is working: after the rinse kills germs in your mouth, the dead germs can collect on the tooth surface and create the appearance of a brown stain.
Tooth discoloration could be exaggerated by many other factors, such as existing tartar on teeth, consumption of colored beverages like coffee, tea and/or red wine, or tobacco use.
Brown tooth discoloration from use of mouthwashes that effectively fight plaque and gingivitis is not harmful. It is reversible - and largely preventable - through options like brushing with a power toothbrush and tartar-control/whitening toothpaste, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly.

So they know this is happening and haven't done anything to fix it. As far as I can tell, my teeth are still healthy and we have nothing to fear...but I think I'm still going to switch back to Act.

[metalliKa]

Im a litttle late in response but I dont think there is anything to fear. Mouth wash has active ingredients that will react and maybe its reacting with your saliva. If its harmful in any way, I dont think our dentists would encourage so much as to use it on a daily basis.