Zakk

A Dentist recommended I use salt and water rather then a mouth wash. Any of you do that, how m=uch salt would you put in the water?

jelly belly

haven't heard of this, sounds interesting

Gymnasophyst

Zakk
I have forgotten the science behind it ,but its good idea.


about the amount of salt safe amount would be your comfort level of concentration of salt you can tolerate .Salt is cheap so more than necessary is not going to be drain in your pocket . It is commonly used for sore throat whebn warm salt water gargle is common home remeduy & works wonders.I guess it acts like antiseptic which listerine or Scope etc also do the same thing but at more cost :rocket:

Phat_gurl

My dentist told me the same thing, he said it works just like a mouthwash and is cheap.

StrayCatsStrut

if in your dentist's opinion you're cheap and cant afford a mouth wash then salt is probably your best bet. need i say more.

Use about a teaspoonful of salt per glass.


Keep reading if you wanna know why..

This solution must be hyperotonic (or more concentrated than your body's natural salt levels) in order for it to be more effective. hence one teaspoon should be sufficient.

It works in the same manner like a pototo chip left in salt water for sometime shrinks it in size (whereas leaving it in plain water swells it up). This works on the principle of osmosis (go to www.biochemistry.com for details) The idea is to 'shrink' inflammed mucus lining of the mouth, pretty much in the same way as saline gargles are advised in throat infections. This is the MAIN reason why salt water is advised. i.e for its osmotic properties by draining out all infected fluids from an inflammed surface.

Antiseptic properties of salt are well known, like one of the friends correctly suggested above but thats not the main reason why salt water is advised. One would need a very large amount of salt and a prolonged exposure to the surface in order to get some significant antimicrobial results. However, in doing so the damage to the oral mucus lining would be greater from the effects of salt irritation.
I hope this answers your question. But since I am on a roll here so I shall continue..
In food, salt may have a lot of benfits but is harmful when consumed in excess. Therefore, anybody above 50 must reduce their salt intake or switch over to Sodium Free alternatives. Salt feeds hypertension like fuel on fire so its absolutely essential that hypertensives reduce their intake. There are loads of ways, message me if you;re dying to know...

oh and did you know salt competes with Calcium in kidneys also and if you consume a lot of salt your body will not be able to absorb Calcium properly and you;re at risk of developing a Ca deficiency. More dangerous if you're a woman and predisposed to osteoporosis

yeah ok think its enough for now

signing out

~The Doc~