Mouthwash question, please help

[Chris W.]

Hey all, Im Chris and Im new here. I was wondering if someone could help me with this question. How does the menthol in mouthwash actually kill bad breath? thanks

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

Menthol is not bacteriostatic.I am not sure it has any effect than to make your breath feel fresh for a short period of time.

[Hygienist]

Listerine is not for everyone, people with dry mouth should avoid alcohol based rinses.  This is an interesting article i found online:Phenolics

Lister first suggested the used of phenol (carbolic acid) for sterilization in surgery

the problem with phenol is that it is very irritating and has a bad odor

today phenol is still used in throat lozenges and in throat sprays

phenolics are organic compounds similar to phenol but without the bad smell and irritancy of phenol

the active ingredient in Lysol is ortho-phenylphenol

it is derived from coal tar and is a class of compounds called cresols

Lysol is also 79% alcohol, enhancing the effectiveness of the phenylphenol

another cresol is hexachlorophene, used as a surgical scrub and the active ingredient in pHisoHex

hexachlorophene is also used in toothpaste, deodorants and soaps

it is effective against Staphylococci and Streptococci common skin pathogens

phenolics are good disinfectants because they are stable and persistent

Listerine is another common antiseptic and was first concocted by Lister in 1879

Warner-Lambert picked it up in 1881 and today it is a $400 million per year product

Listerine is a mixture of thymol, eucalyptol, menthol and methyl salicylate: natural products ("essential oils") that include phenolics

Listerine also contains over 25% alcohol which enhances its effectiveness

phenolics act by disrupting cell membranes, inactivating enzymes, and denaturing proteins