Tag Archives: plaque

I AGAIN Stopped Using Mouthwash — I THINK It Is Messing With My A1c (i.e., Diabetes) Readings.

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by Anura Guruge
on September 25, 2023

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My post from May 2022. Click image to access that post.

I am NOT diabetic AS YET — but I am in the prediabetes range.

I get my A1c checked — yearly. I am determined to push back, as long as I can, on getting diabetes. It is in MY GENES. I most likely will NOT be able to dodge it. My only goal is to delay it as long as possible.

I do NOT have CONCLUSIVE PROOF that mouthwash increases my A1c — but I can’t take the RISK any longer.

I, given my obsession with oral health, don’t have bad breath — unless I have just been eating garlics or onions. But, I LIKE using mouthwash. I like the taste & sensation.

I had used mouthwash, twice a day for decades.

A few years ago my A1c had slowly started to creep up.

I saw a report, online, that linked mouthwash with diabetes.

I gave up mouthwash. My A1c went down! But, during that year I also made some other lifestyle changes.

A year ago I went BACK to using mouthwash — (at least) TWICE a day.

My A1c has GONE UP!

Yes, there are OTHER FACTORS TOO. I am fully aware of that. But, as with other changes, I ditched the mouthwash.

Just sharing this with YOU in case it HELPS YOU.

Did YOU Know That Using Mouthwash Might Increase Your Risk Of Getting ‘Type 2’ Diabetes?

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by Anura Guruge
on May 31, 2022

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I first read about this increased risk of diabetes in “The Reader’s Digest” in 2018. It scared me enough that I stopped using mouthwash! Prior to that I had been an ardent, daily user — heartily gargling away for at least 7 or 8 minutes a day. I had my annual blood work done about 3 months later. My A1C which had remained flat for 4 years had gone down! I was never diabetic, BUT seeing my A1C dip was quite the thing.

I had NOT used mouthwash for the last 4 years. But then, recently, I was FORCED to go back to using mouthwash. I have given up on getting my teeth SCRAPED (i.e., cleaned) by a dental hygienist on a regular basis. NO. NO. It isn’t to do with costs. I just don’t like having my hard earned enamel scrapped by a pseudo-professional for cosmetic reasons. I did get my teeth X-rayed & checked my a dentist recently. Though I had not had my teeth cleaned or gone to a dentist in 3-years, my teeth were FINE! {SMILE} I have teeth like a horse.

But, I do worry about plaque build up & I don’t want to damage my gums by brushing my teeth too vigorously — something I am prone to do. So much so that I now buy ‘Extra Soft’ toothbrushes just to make sure that I do not damage my gums too much. (According to my dentist, much to my surprise & relief, my gums are FINE. Wow.)

So, I have to use mouthwash. I started by using it twice a day — at least 4 minutes at a time.

But, I got scared.

I scaled it back to once a day. At night.

So, just a heads up. Check it out.

P.S., Not sure about your dentist, but mine had NO CLUE as to this supposed link between mouthwash & diabetes. Scary.