CariFree offers a carefully thought out line of products geared more earnestly towards improving your oral health than any other company I have encountered. I have rather bad teeth and so am extremely careful with them, and put a lot of effort into finding the best products; therefore I settled on CariFree. There are a number of reasons why this is absolutely superior to ordinary mouthwashes such as those from Crest or Listerine. 1) This is alkaline. People often think that your teeth get back because of sugar; this is not the case. The sugar feed bacteria which then metabolize it to produce acid. It is therefore quite obviously desirable to neutralize this acid, which spikes after eating any food but particularly after eating/drinking sugary or acidic drinks (sugar free sweets are often full of acids to give a "sour" flavor). Most mouthwashes are actually acidic, as you can find upon a quick google search; according to Frey Smiles' blog, Listerine is around pH 4 and Crest Pro-Health around 4.7. Neutral is pH 7. CariFree is pH 8. 2) This has no alcohol. Alcohol is generally not good for you; it's been linked with oral cancer, and definitely can cause dry mouth. Also, it just feels nasty in your mouth. 3) This is antibacterial without staining. Xylitol is a generally effective antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal agent. Some studies do say you should not eat xylitol, but this is a rinse, not a gum. The other main antimicrobials are alcohol and cetylpyridinium chloride. Alcohol is bad for the reasons we've mentioned; CPC, on the other hand, can cause awful tooth staining (and it did this for me). 4) This has fluoride. Many rinses do not- you have to look carefully on the package. Tooth enamel is a mineral that consists of calcium, phosphate, and hydroxide ions. In solution, as in your saliva, these ions are constantly popping off and on, but at a very low rate (acidity increases this rate, however). Fluoride ions are more electronegative than hydroxide ions, and so they pop back in instead of hydroxide and hold the structure together more tightly (decreasing the rate at which they pop off). In terms of usage, I also enjoy its flavor, and the fact that it isn't full of useless or possibly harmful dyes, scents, or other additives like most other mouthwashes. It's pretty straightforward: a bunch of really important ingredients that work together well. I also might add that although this product is very expensive, it was developed off real science; the likes of Listerine are products that have been sold in forms very similar to their current form for years. CariFree has a hard time competing with these big companies, but they do offer better products. Finally, I'd recommend looking into their remineralizing toothpaste. As I mentioned, your enamel has three ions that exist in a solubility equilibrium in your saliva: calcium, phosphate, and hydroxide (replaced by fluoride). It makes sense, therefore, that just adding one of these ions is not enough if you want to actually strengthen your teeth. CariFree's toothpaste contains bioavailable sources of calcium and phosphate ions, allowing your tooth enamel to actually rebuild, rather than just dissolve at a lower rate. I hope this helps you all. Read more
My dentist carries and recommends this line of products. I have purchased this rinse multiple times and multiple flavors. I love that they have a non-mint option-the grape is good! A PSA- this product has xylitol in it, which is very toxic to dogs. Be mindful of your smooches to your pooches after you have rinsed your mouth with this, and make sure to wipe any lingering drops off your face! Read more
I always do extensive research when it comes to buying a health and beauty product. When I saw the review on this toothpaste I researched the website and reviews on and off of Amazon. I came across this product because my toddler has developed white spots on her teeth and I was not too excited about that. I originally bought the mint and used it on my toddler and myself. I love the mint. A little goes a long ways. It is a gel form but lathers well in the mouth. I have noticed when using this toothpaste that the amount of gunk I scrape off of my tongue after brushing is about 95% less than with normal toothpaste. That tells me that something is working in this toothpaste. Since using this toothpaste I have also received comments on my teeth. I have some sensitive spots when I floss and they are no longer sensitive after using this toothpaste. I ended up buying my daughter the grape flavor as it is more her flavor. She doesn’t mind the toothpaste. Her teeth are looking better, the white spots have started to minimize. I have no tried the grape flavor but another adult in my household has and they too like it and has said it lathers very well. I ended up buying the mint mouthwash as well. I was a bit hesitant at first because reviewers were saying it burned their mouth when using it and they refused to use it anymore. I happen to love the mouthwash. It does almost always burn my tongue but that is because of the damage I do to it myself from eating sour and salty foods. The mouthwash gives me an intense clean feeling. I use it every morning and night before bed. I also love the fact that these products do not contain acid (for shelf life) like most other brands do. Acid breaks down your enamel and that’s something you definitely want to avoid. I give his company a high five for that in itself! I’d recommend this toothpaste and the mouthwash to anyone looking for a great toothpaste that does as it says and contains no harmful ingredients. This company truly wants to protect your teeth and gums. I will co tongue to buy this for myself and my family. Read more
I've used Carifree oral rinse for many years. It contains more fluoride (0.05%) than some other products that I also use, such as Act mouthwash (0.02%) or Arm & Hammer toothpaste (0.024%). In addition to the fluoride, Carifree claims to balance your mouth's pH level, which is also supposed to help prevent cavities. The Grape flavor is also nice. But I have noticed a decline in quality over the past couple of years. Whenever I order a package of three or four Carifree bottles, they include 3 or 4 small plastic cups. (See my photos.) Which is good, because Carifree tends to leave a residue in the cups over time. So for every new bottle, I use a new cup. But in the past, each cup came inside its own sealed plastic baggie, which was nicely sanitary. But now they come stacked and exposed to the elements. Less sanitary. I suppose you can wash them, but still. Also, sometimes a cup arrives cracked. That never happened when they were individually wrapped. If Carifree wants to save on manufacturing costs, I suggest they do away with the big decorative gray top. Those are unnecessary. I always yank off and toss the top. The small twist-on cap underneath the decorative top is sufficient to open and close the bottle. (See my photos). So, lose the top and return the individually wrapped cups. Read more
