Active Chlorine Dioxide Oral Rinse (Patented)
With so many mouth rinses to choose from, a choice can be a difficult one at best. Allow us to explain to you the difference and the importance of true, activated, molecular chlorine dioxide (CLO2), and why a choice for Dental White & Fresh is a good one.
Dr. George, a chemist/dentist with over a quarter of a century of private practice experience as a dentist, along with a research professor/Ph.D. and other chemists spent six years in the development of Dental White & Fresh. He was awarded a patent on the unique method of taking a stabilized chlorine dioxide/Sodium Chlorite/Oxychlor compound-such as Oxyd-8™ in TheraBreath™ (trademarks of Harold Katz & Fresh Start, LLC) and generating CLO2. There is a world of difference between CLO2 and Stabilized Chlorine Dioxide (SCD). CLO2 has to be generated or synthesized on the spot, because it is so unstable that it will disappear in seconds, if not in water.
Mouth rinse solutions containing SCD are colorless and therefore have no CLO2. CLO2 imparts a greenish tint. Contrary to manufacturer’s claims of having CLO2, none have been able to show that SCD forms CLO2 in the mouth as they claim! The lower pH of the mouth supposedly is responsible for this. But the mouth has a pH of about 6, and one needs very low pH (about 2-3)and some time (about 3-5 minutes)to generate CLO2 this way.
Since SCD is an oxidizer, it has some effect in reducing odors, but is not bactericidal. It is is very much weaker than CLO2. Olin Corp. and Sterling Pulp Chemicals, manufacturers of SCD/Sodium Chlorite, state,
“Chlorite [SCD] is a weak disinfectant, and not of any practical value as such, although it will help prevent (bacterial) after growth—“. About CLO2 they state,
“CLO2 is used principally as a primary disinfectant for surface waters with odor and taste problems. It is an effective biocide at concentrations as low as .1ppm (parts per million),” Thus, biocidal properties come from CLO2 and not from SCD according to even the manufacturers of SCD. Dental White & Fresh contains many more ppm of CLO2 than this.
CLO2 is probably the most extensively tested disinfectant in history. This is because not much was known about it, where as experience with chlorine extended in practice for over a hundred years. It is a safe and effective biocide, and has been used for disinfecting, and eliminating odors in water for over 70 years; and nearly as long for whitening in the paper making industry. It has also been used for biofilm control in commercial water cooling towers.
Because of this biofilm control property, you will even notice your teeth getting squeaky clean as the film pellicle that forms on teeth (responsible for plaque adherence) breaks down. Biofilm control on the back of the tongue is also important as we’ll see shortly. Its effectiveness for whitening and freshening does not come from magic, but from fundamental chemistry.
Some people are concerned about the word chlorine in chlorine dioxide. The only relation between chlorine and chlorine dioxide is that they share the same word in their names. The difference comes from their dissimilar chemical structures and thus, distinct chemical behaviors. The addition of oxygen to a gas makes all the difference in the world. For example, Hydrogen is an explosive gas but when it combines with oxygen forms dihydrogen oxide – known commonly as water! Just as water is very different from hydrogen, so is chlorine dioxide different from chlorine. Chlorine dioxide causes an oxidation reaction, whereas chlorine and chlorine type products (e.g. Clorox™ ) cause a chlorination reaction. Chlorine type products add chlorine to organic compounds, thus forming trihalomethanes, which are suspect as health/cancer risks. Chlorine dioxide, being an oxidizer, forms no such products.
Approximately 75 million Americans consider breath malodor to be their most important concern in a social situation.
Of the $1.2 billion oral care market, over half of that belongs to mouthwash sales.
In a 1992 “Consumer Reports”, presently available mouthwashes were shown to be almost entirely ineffective, some after only 10 minutes.
An estimated 65% of Americans are estimated to have bad breach. Over 90% of the time, it is of oral origin, caused by (VSCs) produced from gram-negative anaerobic bacteria.
Everyone produces VSCs, some more than others, but at >30 parts per billion (ppb), a real malodor exists. The human nose can detect from 3-8 ppb!
One can usually not detect his own bad breath, due to olfactory desensitization. In a person with halitosis, nasal air has little to no offense-the offense comes from mouth air. After consuming and digesting garlic, onions, and other aromatic foods, bad odor comes from the lungs, via the bloodstream, and can last for more than a day. No known product can help this. However, the odor in the mouth immediately after consumption can be helped by Dental White & Fresh.
The biocidal mechanism of CLO2 is thought to be the result of disrupting protein synthesis, inactivating enzymes, and misbalancing electrolytes within cell membranes. In addition, it oxidizes VSCs which are also responsible for local inflammation and the progression of periodontal disease.(Yaegaki K., Sanada K. Biochemical and Clinical Factors Influencing Oral Malodor in Periodontal Patients. J Periodontol 1992;63:783).
CLO2 mouth rinse has equivalent plaque inhibitory action as Chlorhexidine. (Yates, R., Moran, J., Addy, M., Mullan, P., Wade, W., and Newcombe, R. The comparative effect of acidified sodium chlorite and chlorhexidine mouth rinse on plaque re growth and salivary bacterial counts. J. Clin. Periodontal. 1997;24: 603-609).
CLO2 has been shown to have better biocidal activity on Pseudomonas bacteria, which is prevalent in periodontal disease, than Chlorhexidine (which is the active ingredient in such products as Peridex™ and Perioguard™).(Kenyon AJ, Hamilton SG, and Douglas DM. Comparison of antipseudomonal activity of chlorine dioxide/chlorous acid-containing gel with commercially available antiseptics. Amer J Vet Res 1986;47(5):1101-04).
CLO2 has been shown to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi in under one minute! (Benarde MA, Snow BW, Oliveri VP, and Davidson B. Kinetics and mechanism of bacterial disinfection of chlorine dioxide. Appl Microbiol 1957;15:257-65).
CLO2 has been used following periodontal surgery for producing healthy tissues without redness and swelling. (Babad MS. Using a chlorine dioxide antibacterial gel for soft tissue healing. Dent Today. 1999;18(6):88-89).
CLO2 has been demonstrated to be twice as quick disinfecting denture acrylic resin strips infected with Candida albicans than Clorox™ (Bell JA, Brockman SL, Feil P, and Sackuvich DA. The effectiveness of two disinfectants on denture base acrylic resin with an organic load. J Prosthet Dent 1989;61(5):580-83).
Clinical applications of CLO2 have even been successful in treating non healing diabetic ulcers. (Babad MS. Using a chlorine dioxide antibacterial gel for soft tissue healing. Dent Today. 1999;18(6):88-89).
Studies have been undertaken to determine if different oxychlorine species result in significant genetic or carcinogenic hazards to humans. Meier et al. studied the effect of sub chronic and acute oral administration of chlorine, chlorine dioxide, sodium chlorite and sodium chlorate on the induction of chromosomal aberrations and spermhead abnormalities in mice( Environ. Sci. Technol., 1994;28:592). Only the highly reactive hypochlorite ion (chlorine) resulted in a weak positive effect for mutagenic potential. The other compounds, including chlorine dioxide and sodium chlorite, failed to induce any chromosomal aberrations or increased numbers of micronuclei in the bone marrow of mice. Vilagines et al. attribute the relatively innocuous effect of chlorine dioxide to its inability to produce halomethanes, unlike hypochlorite and chlorine (Proc. AWWA Disinfect. Semin.,1977:24; Chem. Abs. 93, 173513f.). This observation has more recently been confirmed by Richardson et al in an extensive study of the reaction of chlorine dioxide with water borne organics by the EPA (Environ. Sci. Technol., 1994;28:592).
Two sub chronic 90-day animal toxicity studies have been reported for sodium chlorite. (Chemical Manufacturer’s Association (CMA). (“Study Report of a 90 Day Feeding Study for Sodium Chlorite in the Rat”.1992) and (“Sub chronic Toxicity of Sodium Chlorite in the Rat”. Jour. Amer. Coll. Toxicol., Arlington VA.; Harrington, R.; Romano, R.; Gates, D.; Ridgeway, P. 1995:14(1);21-33) The general toxicological findings found : acute oral LD 50 = 150 mg/kg, chronic no effect level = 7.4 mg/kg, chronic mild effect level = 19 mg/kg. Based on these data, a normal use pattern of a mouth rinse product (5,000 mg/L NaCLO2 concentration-about 5 times the amount in Dental White & Fresh), 3x per day, 90% expectoration) for a 150 lb person maintains a > 150 fold safety margin for acute toxicity effects. If the same person were to completely swallow the mouth rinse, a > 20 fold safety margin is still maintained!
There is no permanent cure for mouth odor but only long term control and management. It can be helped by practicing good oral hygiene that includes tongue scraping, brushing, flossing, regular dental checkups, and using Dental White & Fresh.
Yes, a product that incorporates fundamental chemistry can be a real help. Now that we know the source and the cause, there is no reason not to have kissable fresh, clean breath, with new confidence. Even though Dental White & Fresh can only whiten ones natural teeth over long periods of time it is an excellent whitener maintenance. Use the Dental White™, Professional at Home Whitening System itself for getting your teeth their whitest.
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