Petri Dish | Mouthwash vs. Hydrogen Peroxide

Which is a better anti-bacterial cleanser for your mouth. The results may surprise you!

[charlesben]

I'm a scientist too. However, what I've noticed is that even though you tried using "anti-bacterial" solutions, there are still good and bad bacteria that can and will remain in the mouth. This will cause growth of both good bacteria and bad bacteria on the plates. Since these solutions kill all bacteria (good and bad) indiscriminately, we can't really tell which bacteria is more prominent judging by the growth.

[UnCompress_]

What I'm missing is the distinction between good and bad bacteria. The bad bacteria (anaerobe) that make your gum sick are mainly targetted with hydroperoxide (oxiden kills these germs). So I think I can be a good sign that the hydroperoxide dish shows growth of bacteria, you need good bacteria for mouth health. Killing all bacteria is a very bad thing to do, when the good are gone they can't protect your mouth.

[RedArmyMedic]

Thank you for the petidish test. I am gonna give listerine another go. I stopped about 10 years ago because it was not helping my gum pain. The peroxide did. Weird. Maybe related to the type of bacteria that grew after wash.

[CodyCole]

Hydrogen Peroxide is far better than mouthwash imo.

[TroyQwert]

I am a big fan of HP, I read a lot about it, I keep using it daily in different applications. But there's a huge drawback in 3% HP we buy in any grocery store or pharmacy - the stabilizer. It blocks most valuable polistening?
The alcohol content in Listerine serves to preserve the product by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.

[floridalife-livinginflorid]

As a scientist why not water down 10 percent to 5 percent and see how that goes instead of saying 3 percent not strong enough and 10 percent too strong

[erikferguson]

You have to be very careful using antibacterial mouthwashes unless you have an infection. Even then, you run the risk of yeast overgrowth and getting black tongue. Yes, this happened to me.

[RyanThomasWoods]

Just discovered your channel! New subscriber! Love this science experiment as I was always wondering which one killed more bacteria. Would love if you compared mouthwash with peroxide with disinfecting toothbrush head… I know you mentioned how peroxides effectiveness in our mouth could be altered but curious how it would compare with disinfecting outside the mouth, just in a glass with a tooth brush head for disinfecting to see which one kills more bacteria

[tyronekim]

Thank you for doing the experiment on H2O2 vs. antiseptic mouthwash. Now I know I made the right decision. I've been using antiseptic mouthwash for 40+ years.

[jjwe]

Could you do the same experiment with coconut oil + peppermint oil vs xylitol pulling?

[blahcott]

I appreciate the experiment, though...it's actually recommended to use 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 1 part 3% water (it says so on certain bottles + Dr Nemeth, a dentist, recommends that, also). Full strength may have actually been too potent. Our saliva has good bacteria so we don't want to dry out our mouths too much after a rinse.

Also, I think what you're trying to get at with the bacteria explanation was that the ingredients in the mouthwash are more targeted, but you didn't explain why (there's typically also more than just menthol, e.g. flouride), which didn't distinguish the argument between H202 and that mouthwash. Like aforementioned, if a mouthwash dries out your mouth too much, that can actually be bad for your teeth, hence maybe why 1 part H202 to 1 part water is the better mouthwash ratio.

Also, too, where did you specifically learn to only gargle for 30 seconds? I have not heard that. Is that on the bottle for the mouthwash? You definitely want to swish thoroughly between teeth + gargle, not just gargle. And I know H202 shouldn't be in the mouth for more than 60 seconds. I'm not sure about the instructions for the specific mouthwash you used.

[fairdinkum]

Interesting
Can you do a Petrie dish with colloidal silver
Thanks for the great video

[pizzablender]

Medical documentation says not to ise above 1.5% peroxide as mouth disinfectant.
Also, there is a specific type of peroxide for this use, ehllwhich does not contain the phosphonate stabilizer.

[peterblackmore]

In Australia the hydrogen peroxide comes in brown tinted bottles - no plastic taste for me.
The foaming is the oxygen doing its' job.
"Normal" mouthwash does kill all bacteria - good and bad. There is a school of thought that whilst you might have a totally clean mouth, that the effect on the biome may lead to a susceptibility to cardiac issues.

[TheZofren]

Keep in mind there are good and bad bacteria in your mouth. The good bacteria is not harmful to your teeth, gums, or breath and can actually crowd out the bad bacteria, so it might not be a good idea to indiscriminately kill everything.

My denstist recommends hydrogen peroxide and also mentioned that probiotics like yoghurt are really good for your oral hygiene.

[Ats]

Don’t let taste get in your way of judging. This is like medicine not food

[skidoo]

IDK, about all what you found out here. But, I use HP along w/baking soda as a mouth rinse when I have tooth infections and they work like mouthwashes do not. now, why is that. infection is gone in a couple days of use.

[randallfrank]

You don't say if the mouthwash has alcohol as an ingredient. My dentist always tells me not to use mouthwash with alcohol. I use another kind without alcohol.

[shad]

Would have liked to have known, what bacteria exactly was growing in each dish. Qestion being; was more of the good essential bacteria killed by the mouthwash? Thanks

[Momiji-ek]

Chloraseptic mouthwash does not work as well as listerine. I did my own experiment