Technical Innovations

Go Beyond Brushing

An oral care routine of brushing, flossing, and rinsing can help you and your patients reach a goal of 100% WHOLE MOUTH CLEAN

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOING BEYOND BRUSHING

Brushing and flossing are vital to proper oral care, but they only go so far. Bacteria are hiding in places where brushing, and even flossing, can’t reach. That’s why it is important to strive for a 100% WHOLE MOUTH CLEAN.

Plaque biofilm growth

Plaque biofiolm grows rapidly, so it is important to recommend an oral health routine that attacks plaque biofilm growth from all angles. Within minutes of brushing, plaque biofilm doubles every 1-2 hours in the early stages and within days, microbes form a complex 3-D colony that can contain more than 25 distinct species.1

Poor habits may compromise your patients’ oral health, and without proper technique, plaque control is difficult to achieve through brushing and flossing alone.

Plaque Biofilm

Plaque biofilm grows rapidly. The image to the left shows plaque biofilm beginning to appear within minutes. On the right, microbes have formed a complex colony within days.

Brushing is not enough

Without proper technique, plaque control is difficult to achieve through brushing and flossing alone. Poor habits may compromise your patients’ oral health and mechanical methods alone may not be enough to control plaque, gingivitis, and caries:

  • Not all patients brush twice daily2
  • Adults brush between 24 and 60 seconds on average,3 which is significantly less than the American Dental Association’s recommendation of 2 minutes4
  • Less than 10% of patients floss regularly5

Disease prevalence

Plaque biofilm’s ability to grow quickly, combined with a lack of proper technique and an incomplete oral health routine, results in a high rate of disease prevalence in the United States:

  • 92% of adults aged 20-64 years have had dental caries in their permanent teeth6
  • 53% of adults aged 20 years and older have gingivitis7
  • 42% of children aged 2-11 years old have had dental caries in their primary teeth8

100% Whole mouth clean

Brushing and flossing cover 25% of the mouth’s surfaces, so even after brushing and flossing, plaque bioflm is still present in the mouth. In just 30 seconds, an antimicrobial rinse—with a fixed combination of 4 ESSENTIAL Oils—can penetrate deep into plaque biofilm to kill the remaining bacteria. A proper oral care routine that incorporates brushing, flossing, and rinsing offers a virtually 100% WHOLE MOUTH CLEAN.9

100% WHOLE MOUTH CLEAN9

When added to brushing and flossing, LISTERINE® Antiseptic significantly reduces more plaque and gingivitis than brushing and flossing alone.10

Studies show…

  • 52% greater plaque reduction at 6 months when added to brushing and flossing10
  • 21% greater gingivitis reduction compared to brushing and flossing10-12
30 Second Rinse

Find out how LISTERINE® Brand rinses clean the mouth in 30 seconds

4 ESSENTIAL Oils

4 ESSENTIAL Oils

The fixed combination deeply penetrates plaque biofilm, killing bacteria and inhibiting growth

Go Beyond Brush Video

Improving gingival health with BRUSH, FLOSS, & RINSE®

GO BEYOND BRUSHING - references

References: 1. Marsh PD, Martin MV, Lewis MOA, Williams D. Dental Plaque. Oral Microbiology E-Book, 5th Edition. Churchill Livingstone. 2009. 80-89. 2. Bakdash B. Current patterns of oral hygiene product use and practice. Peridontal 2000. 1995;8:11-14. 3. Cancro LP, Fischman SL. The expected effect on oral hygiene of dental plaque control through mechanical removal. Periodontol 2000. 1995;8:60-74. 4. Brush Teeth. Mouth Healthy Web site. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/b/brushing-your-teeth. Accessed July 17, 2015. 5. Bader HI. Floss or die: implications for dental professionals. Dent Today. 1998;17:76-82. 6. NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Dental caries (tooth decay) in adults (age 20 to 64). NIH Web site. http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/DentalCaries/Den.... Accessed July 20, 2015. 7. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Data Resource Center. Oral Health U.S., 2002 Annual Report.. 8. NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Dental caries (tooth decay) in children (age 2 to 11). NIH Web site. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/DentalCaries/De.... Accessed June 24, 2014. 9. Kerr WJS, Kelly J, Geddes DAM. The areas of various surfaces in the human mouth from nine years to adulthood. J Dent Res. 1991;70:1528-1530. 10. Sharma N, Charles CH, Lynch MC, et al. Adjunctive benefit of an essential oil-containing mouthrinse in reducing plaque and gingivitis in patients who brush and floss regularly: a six-month study. J Am Dent Assoc. 2004;135(4):496-504. 11. Charles CH, Mostler KM, Bartels LL, Mankodi SM. Comparative antiplaque and antigingivitis effectiveness of a chlorhexidine and an essential oil mouthrinse: 6-month clinical trial. J Clin Periodontol. 2004;31(10):878-884. 12. Lisante TA, Charles C, Qaqish J, Sharma N, Junker L. Efficacy of brush, floss, rinse regiments vs mechanical oral hygiene. Presented at: 86th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research; March 16-19, 2011; San Diego CA.