I get what you mean about the fancy rinses—one time I tried this “herbal” one from the health store and my mouth felt like I’d chewed on a Christmas wreath. Honestly, I’ve had better luck just sticking to a basic fluoride rinse and focusing on brushing after meals. For me, the real change happened when I started flossing every single night. My dentist said it’s less about the brand and more about consistency, which lines up with what you’re saying. The only exception was when my gums were really inflamed; then a prescription rinse actually helped, but that was short-term. Otherwise, store brands all the way...
Man, I tried one of those “all-natural” rinses once and my mouth felt like it was auditioning for a pine-scented candle commercial. Never again. I totally get the appeal, but for me, the basics work way better. I used to get sucked in by all the fancy packaging and promises—“whitens teeth, freshens breath, gives you superpowers”—but honestly, plain old fluoride rinse and religious brushing did more for my wiggly teeth than any of that.
Flossing, though… that was a game-changer. I used to skip it and tell myself brushing was enough (spoiler: it wasn’t). The first time I actually stuck with flossing every night, my gums stopped looking like they’d lost a fight with a toothbrush. My dentist was almost proud of me. Almost.
Prescription rinse did help when my gums were angry, but yeah, only short-term. Now I’m all about store brands too—my wallet thanks me, and my teeth aren’t complaining. Funny how sometimes less really is more.
