Ask the Dentist: Do I really need to use a mouthwash?

 

A: Mouthwash is used to rinse our entire oral cavity, including our teeth, gums and tongue. It helps to reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth, which reduces the amount of dental plaque that forms. Regular use of mouthwash can help to prevent gum disease, and if the mouthwash contains fluoride, it can help to prevent tooth decay too.

However, it is important to note that mouthwash alone is not able to remove plaque from our teeth, only tooth-brushing and flossing can. Therefore, if you brush your teeth twice a day, for two minutes each with the right brushing techniques, and floss at least once a day, it is not necessary to use a mouthwash.

Your dental specialist/dentist may also recommend the use of different mouthwash for various purposes such as:

• antiseptic mouthwash to control plaque and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), especially after a tooth extraction or surgery 
• mouthwash with fluoride to help control dental caries 
• natural, enzyme mouthwash to treat oral sores or dry mouth (also known as xerostomia) 
• desensitising mouthwash to protect against sensitive teeth 

You are recommended to check with your dental professional on whether you need to include a mouthwash as part of your oral care routine, and which mouthwash is suitable for you.

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Dr. Tan Kian Meng is a Dental Specialist in Prosthodontics with Specialist Dental Group®. He is also a Clinical Lecturer at the National University of Singapore and Diplomate with the American Board of Prosthodontics. He was formerly a Consultant at Singapore's Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Fellow of Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Oncologic Dentistry Fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Tan has special interest in prosthetic and implant restorative dentistry.  www.specialistdentalgroup.com | 6734 9393

Specialist Dental Group® is a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Association of Singapore (CAS). CAS members enjoy a special rate for dental services.

CIS Students Win interschool French Debating Competition

Last November, two CIS teams participated in the interschool French debates aka Les Joutes oratoires. Competing via Zoom, both teams demonstrated expert communication skills and patience - even when some technical glitches happened. Debate topics this year were around the environment, migrants, and pandemic lockdowns.

Students Kieran L and Tom D B won the "native speakers'' category while Swara and Ericka reached the semi finals in the "language acquisition category. This is the second time CIS has won the cup. Our first was back in 2018.

“The competition was a stressful yet rewarding experience,” explained Kieran and Tom. We spent weeks before the debate researching and composing our arguments both for and against our 3 topics. Although the process was stressful, it enabled us to discover new, interesting ideas to argue our stand.

“When the day of the debate arrived, we were so nervous we jumped up and down, and screamed into our fists minutes before the event. In the finals we were against a single opponent (her partner was unable to join us at the last minute)." This, however, did not affect the quality of her points and the tenacity of her rebuttals, continuously challenging our points and team cooperation.

“Thankfully, we managed to respond to all her comments and pointed out her arguments' flaws. We were ecstatic when we found out that we had won and started to jump up and down again - this time out of joy and pride. All in all, it was a great opportunity to develop our analytical and persuasive skills. We are so proud of all the hard work we put into this day, and how it paid off. We are glad we undertook this opportunity as it allowed us to develop our French-speaking fluency through debating and arguing about a topic in French, an experience that we rarely have. Thank you to everyone involved in the process for helping us make this victory achievable. 

To find out more about CIS and our foreign language opportunities contact our admissions team on +65 73 8088 or visit www.cis.edu.sg/learning/languages