My Must-Have No. 2

I do cinnamon mouth rinse prior to brushing because it acts like, but seems to do a better job than Plax in loosening plaque.

Not only that, it enhances the after-taste and after-effect and feel that I get from using either the cinnamon or the Fresh Mint (green cap) tooth polish that lasts all day. I never get sick of it because it is so subtle.

Every other product I ever used made my mouth feel like it either just got the chalk treatment or the chemical plant treatment. Some were worse than others, but they all generally settled down into bad breath and/or cottonmouth after an hour or two. Colgate used to make me barf if I ate something too soon after using it. Hoooo boy!

Melaleuca mouthwash is also so effective that you can use it after oral surgery instead of that chemical (forget what it's called) they give a prescription for that was developed to "kill every last freakin' little germ (good or bad) in your mouth." I got permission from my above-average super dentist, Michael Eisenberg to use it and it did the job. For some procedures, they do not want you to use a mouthwash, in which cases I don't use it - just salt water.

However, I must warn and admit, the Melaleuca mouth rinse is too hot, too powerful. I have to use it only briefly or water it down a little more than what they recommend.