Oravital™ clinicians conduct a variety of analytical tests before and after the Oravital™ treatment and compare these results to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. These tests include: chair-side and laboratory oral microbiology analysis of your saliva and plaque samples, gas chromatography analysis of your breath, bleeding-on-probing examination, and other clinical and science based evaluations. These comparative results clearly show whether levels of aggressive bacteria causing oral infection and halitosis have been adequately reduced and rebalanced following treatment. It is important to note that bacteria can never be fully eradicated, but can be reduced and rebalanced to ensure optimal oral health.
Bacteria need to be exposed to a minimum concentration of antibiotic in order to be controlled. This concentration is typically less than 10 mg/mL (micrograms per millilitre). The concentration of medication in the Oravital™ rinse is several thousand times higher than the levels required to kill bacteria. Therefore, even a very tiny amount (much less than a fraction of a drop) would contain sufficient medication to kill the bacteria in the pocket. Gum tissue that is infected is typically swollen, which creates spaces around the tooth. When the Oravital™ rinse is swished between the teeth as directed, the medication is therefore able to penetrate into the tissues and accumulate in these pockets:
To further increase the likelihood of success, after the rinse is used, flossing between the teeth will help to ensure that the necessary particles of medication are moved into the pockets and spaces around the teeth.
If in the infected area the level of antibiotic is not maintained at the minimum level, the anaerobic bacteria will reproduce quickly and reach their original populations in a matter of hours. Bacteria are able to double the size of their colonies every 4.8 hours if the antibiotic levels drop below the minimum effectiveness threshold.
Therefore, (1) skipping a single dose in the prescribed regimen, (2) failing to use the rinse properly, (3) failing to deliver the antibiotic rinse/cream into the infected area or, (4) washing out the mouth with water, drinks or food within 30 minutes of using the rinse will greatly reduce or nullify the effectiveness of the medication. Non-compliance or poor rinse/cream application are the main reasons why antibiotics appear to be ineffective.
If the Oravital™ rinses have been used properly, but bacterial levels appear to remain high, it is possible that the bacteria are present in the mouth are insensitive to the antibiotic found in the rinse. Although the rinses are effective against most periodontal bacteria, there are some species that do not respond to this medication. Your Oravital™ clinician can prescribe an alternate rinse system that we have made available for this purpose.
We have compiled a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions. These have been categorized in five (5) separate topics. If your questions are not answered in this section, please click here to ask one of our experts.