![]() ![]() We all know chlorhexidine stains teeth, and another common side effect is calculus buildup. The main reason many clinicians dislike chlorhexidine is because of its side effects. However, many dental professionals use chlorhexidine off-label, and this is where the contraindications and safety concerns come into play. 2 This is one of the reasons why chlorhexidine is not intended to be used longer than two weeks.Įven though chlorhexidine has many side effects, it can be safely used to treat gingivitis. However, it requires an incredibly high concentration to achieve positive results: 1,200 parts per million. There is no need to debate this, as study after study has confirmed it. 1 It was designed to be used temporarily to help patients reverse gingivitis.Ĭhlorhexidine is a great bacterial killer. The good: When used as designedĬhlorhexidine was introduced into dentistry in 1954 as a broad-spectrum biocide effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. For the clinicians who use it, if we asked why, they probably wouldn’t say, “Because I love it!” Instead, they’d likely say things such as “There’s no alternative” or “I use it because it’s what I learned in school.” Yet, there is an alternative to chlorhexidine and, as most of us know, doing something just because you learned it in school isn’t always good enough.įor us to understand this controversial chemical’s place in dentistry, as well as possible alternatives, let’s take a hard look at chlorhexidine-the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are those who hate it and refuse to use it, and there are those who use it and choose to overlook the side effects. Given these characteristics, it’s no surprise clinicians generally fall into two camps on chlorhexidine. When you hear the word chlorhexidine, these things probably come to mind:
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