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Got some gum soreness. Usually I’d dab hydrogen peroxide on it, but it’s strangely difficult to get here (in Portugal every supermarket sells it).

So instead I got chlorhexidine. Went and did a bit of Googling for scientific papers, which resulted in finding out that, and I quote, “chlorhexidine is more effective than povidone iodine and hydrogen peroxide for treating diseased or inflamed gums, but less effective than sodium hypochlorite”

SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?

Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!

I have no plans to use sodium hypochlorite as a mouthwash.

in reply to Sarah Brown

kæt
kæt
• •
chlorhexidine is great for gingivitis, etc, ime. Hypochlorite is a new one on me, and I'm not keen to experiment, though so is H2O2. Povidone iodine would probably have folk looking like blackberry vampires. The US aren't keen on chlorhexidine -- some very marginal, poor-quality cancer papers being circled by personal injury class-action lawyers -- but fortunately still quite easy to get over here.
in reply to kæt

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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@kæt H2O2 is pretty effective, and removes stains on your teeth as well. The taste takes some getting used to though.
@kæt
in reply to Sarah Brown

mobbsy
mobbsy
• •
Colgate Peroxyl is fairly easily available as a Brand Name H2O2 mouthwash - e.g. https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/250579174 ?
in reply to Sarah Brown

Liz Church
Liz Church
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Hydrogen peroxide is an ingredient in the manufacture of explosive organic peroxides which were in vogue around the time of the 7/7 bombings. An odd choice given that they're about as unstable and dangerous as liquid nitroglycerine. Anyway, that's why you can't get that stuff no more
in reply to Sarah Brown

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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You can’t make explosives with household concentrations.
in reply to Sarah Brown

Dr David Mills
Dr David Mills
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you can, you don't even have to try very hard. Teenage me knows it very well.
in reply to Dr David Mills

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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@Dr David Mills it’s 97% water. Buy a 500ml bottle, there’s 15ml of peroxide in it.

Good luck.

@Dr David Mills
in reply to Sarah Brown

Dr David Mills
Dr David Mills
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Oh, they've really reduced it!
No plans to try any time. Got my scare from that stuff when I made about 10x more than I thought I was going to. Still not much, but more than I was willing to be around.
in reply to Dr David Mills

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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@Dr David Mills AIUI, the generic medical grade stuff has always been 3%. Much more and you start getting chemical burns.
@Dr David Mills
in reply to Sarah Brown

Dr David Mills
Dr David Mills
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I read your reply as 1.5ml in 500ml - 3% works, mixed acid catalyst needed. And I'm definitely not saying any more in public.
in reply to Sarah Brown

Adam
Adam
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ah, I thought you meant bleach - you can make nitrogen trichloride with regular bleach although you'd be pretty stupid to try it.
in reply to Adam

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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@Adam Easiest thing to make with regular bleach is chlorine gas. It liberates it without even trying hard.
@Adam
in reply to Sarah Brown

Adam
Adam
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was reading earlier about bleach baths (they're very dilute hypochlorite, but supposedly effective for skin infections.)
in reply to Sarah Brown

Alexandra Lanes
Alexandra Lanes
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@Sarah Brown @Adam Was that advised by the surgeons or your own invention? I just had the “douche with videne” regime for the first few weeks.
@Sarah Brown @Adam
in reply to Alexandra Lanes

Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
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@Alexandra Lanes @Adam Was advised salt water baths. I added a touch of bleach on my own initiative.
@Alexandra Lanes @Adam
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