Whatever happened to gargling?

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Leading_Can_6006@reddit

I think that the old 'official' routine used to be bush, floss, mouthwash. But now I've seen official advice to not rinse, ie, leave the toothpaste in your mouth. I just can't do that. To me it's like turning off the shower, lathering up with soap, and just leaving suds/scum on your body! So yeah, I've stuck with the old routine. But I only do that once a day. The other time I just brush and rinse with water.

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Tempus__Fuggit@reddit (OP)

I was more curious about the act of gargling in pop culture & media. I'm with you about not rinsing toothpaste. 4 out of 5 dentists could have mentioned it a few decades earlier.

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Der_fluter_mouse@reddit

Is this post a question on the use of.mouthwash or the actual act of gargling? I use mouthwash and I don't gargle- I swish.

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Tempus__Fuggit@reddit (OP)

The act of gargling. It was a small part of pop culture, tv ads, comedy bits, etc. but I haven't come across anything in years. Mind you, I don't watch much video anymore.

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Crafty_Illustrator_4@reddit

Listerine for my whole life

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Kind-Dog504@reddit

So what you’re really asking is why you don’t see the commercials that you used to see as a kid? The way people use mouthwash hasn’t changed, I can assure you.

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Tempus__Fuggit@reddit (OP)

More along the lines of Bermuda triangle and quicksand. It's the act of gargling that's vanished from media. It was a visual/audial bit, but it has lost its place in our pop cultural mishmash. There's still plenty of mouthwash at stores, so it's more the public face of it has changed. It's not like smoking, so, just a curious bit of observation. I guess I could have asked why beauticians no longer offer facials.

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Kind-Dog504@reddit

I dig. Cheers!

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_ism_@reddit

Tom's of maine.

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The68Guns@reddit

I did, but my dentist said it was drying out my gums.

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The_Blendernaut@reddit

I buy the 3pk of Crest mouthwash at Costco and use it twice a day after brushing. I completely forgot about gargling though. Never had the desire or need. I do swish the stuff around for at least 60 seconds though. Now that I think about it, I'm wondering what is the purpose of gargling? I need to ask my AI overlord.

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hezaa0706d@reddit

Still alive and well here in Japan

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Last-Relationship166@reddit

My dad would have me gargle hot salt water when I had a sore throat. I hated it.

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flyart@reddit

My Dad would mix a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in OJ and we had to drink that. Cauterized the shit out of a sore throat. I still do it if it's a bad one.

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Winter-Fondant7875@reddit

Gargle with a shot of whiskey at the first throat tickle to avoid a sore throat. The germs get drunk and let go. Seriously, this works for me, but there's no scientific data for it.

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jaxbravesfan@reddit

My grandmother would have us gargle with peroxide if we said we had a sore throat when we were visiting. It was awful.

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Last-Relationship166@reddit

Ughhh...that *sounds* awful!

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ArtisticDegree3915@reddit

I use mouthwash but can't get my head back to gargle. So I just swish. I have a type of arthritis that has essentially fused my spine. Very limited mobility in any direction. But almost zero looking up.

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obnoxiousdrunk77@reddit

Is it ankylosing spondylitis by chance? I have seen spondy cases many times during my career as a licensed massage therapist.

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ArtisticDegree3915@reddit

Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)

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obnoxiousdrunk77@reddit

I have not encountered that one in my career. After looking it up, I offer very gentle hugs to you.

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ripoff54@reddit

I was just thinking about this and other acts of personal hygiene, like scrubbing under your fingernails with that little brush. And what about the little disposable cups in the bathroom? Everyone had them.

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Vynaca@reddit

ACT Restoring Zero-Alcohol (green) every day.

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Jim_xyzzy@reddit

Late boomer here, never gargled my whole life

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XeroEmpire@reddit

??? I still use mouthwash every day. So does everyone in my house.

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DeadBy2050@reddit

Do what you want, but you may want to look up whether it's helping or hurting you based on your circumstances.

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xczechr@reddit

The [American Dental Association recommends it](https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/mouthwash/) as a supplement to brushing. What reputable sources do you have recommending against using mouthwash?

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xczechr@reddit

I use it after drinking sugary beverages. So not every day, but often enough.

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BarnabyBundlesnatch@reddit

Wait, people dont gargle anymore??? When did this start happening?

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Cheese-Manipulator@reddit

I gargle. I do it right after flossing. I also brush way back on my tongue until I gag because that is where the stink breath likes to ferment.

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SkinTeeth4800@reddit

Name checks out!

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Dark_Web_Duck@reddit

Gargling is on the top shelf next to the sloppy Joe's.

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Divtos@reddit

It’s not a good idea to do daily. Basically the alcohol content has the same deleterious effects as drinking alcohol to your mouth. Moderate drinkers have 1.8-fold higher risks of oral cavity (excluding the lips) and pharynx (throat) cancers and 1.4-fold higher risks of larynx (voice box) cancers than non-drinkers, and heavy drinkers have 5-fold higher risks of oral cavity and pharynx cancers and 2.6-fold higher risks of larynx cancers (4, 9).Jul 14, 2021 https://www.cancer.gov Alcohol and Cancer Risk Fact Sheet - NCI

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Seekshonesty@reddit

Gargle after brushing twice daily.

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Wyzard_of_Wurdz@reddit

I use mouthwash, semi regularly. I don't gargle though. Just swish and spit.

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Coldfinger42@reddit

I do it every day to prevent thrush after using my steroid inhaler

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WayneG88@reddit

I 'swish' the mouthwash in my mouth but I do not gargle, if that makes sense. Gargling was always uncomfortable.

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llclift@reddit

My dentist office said it actually contributes to tooth discoloration.

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Cheese-Manipulator@reddit

How? It would have to sit in your mouth for long periods. I've heard of things like coffee since they are dark and sit in your mouth for long periods. Too much fluorine will also cause spots.

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llclift@reddit

Don't know. I wasn't a regular user so I wasn't really listening

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Careless-Ability-748@reddit

I didn't grow up with it

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Prestigious_Ad_1037@reddit

I don’t know if mouthwash use is any more or less common, but I’m wondering if it’s a perception? Listerine and Scope commercials were ubiquitous during the 1970s and 80s, so mouthwash use may seem less common now because there aren’t nearly as many TV commercials and magazine ads in front of us. Or maybe the use is less common, especially with younger generations because we aren’t bombarded with ads. Listerine has also came under criticism because [ridding everything in your mouth](https://youtu.be/NmjMcKwpVxI?) sounded logical and beneficial. But now it’s understood that daily use *can* also [kill some of the beneficial microbiomes](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38833520/) in the mouth which *can* impact a person’s health. Simply stated, daily mouthwash use is much more nuanced than when we grew up.

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iwastherefordisco@reddit

Back in the day I remember mouthwash being used for bad breath or marketed that way. As I got older it became a good tooth and gum health thing. I keep two bottles (blue and green) in case I have a surprise guest. That way my breath is minty fresh and they can use something after dinner/before snuggling etc. And we can do shooters too :)

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krakatoa83@reddit

Are people stopping you from gargling?

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RogerMurdockCo-Pilot@reddit

I gargle Listerine twice a day.

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daddyjohns@reddit

I gargle with water first thing every morning, doctors orders

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jaxbravesfan@reddit

I still use mouthwash after I brush my teeth. Blue Listerine. Just one of those things I’ve always done.

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Mysterious_Main_5391@reddit

I figured it was all the dick sucking jokes involving gargling that killed the trend.

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LibertyMike@reddit

Alcohol based mouth wash kills healthy oral bacteria in addition to the bad stuff, and also raises blood pressure.

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OtakuTacos@reddit

Sean Connery: I bet your mother could tell us Trebek.

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RobNY54@reddit

Every day Warm salty water for last week's sore throat.

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AbruptMango@reddit

After a tooth came out, too. That one made more sense, but we did it for both reasons.

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kahllerdady@reddit

Gargling seems to have fallen out of favor with the rise of "deez nutz" as an expression...

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DeadBy2050@reddit

Gargling was was pretty much outed as having zero or negative health benefits in the 80s. Same with mouthwash, assuming you're already brushing and flossing.

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ccc1942@reddit

I really don’t know if others are using mouthwash since it’s a part of their daily hygiene. I still use mouthwash, as do others in my family. But it’s rarely a topic of discussion.

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FaithlessnessLegal11@reddit

Lots of nutsack gargling goin on it the U.S.

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Malapple@reddit

I'm on the fence. There's not insignificant evidence that daily mouthwash is bad for you. Some people need to do it for various reasons, others never do it, and many use it a few times per week. Seems like the more we learn about microbiomes, the more we need to think about regular practices.

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