My son had good results with the Magic Mouthwash, although the ingredients can vary from what I understand. After a while it didn't seem to work as well and he also had good results with something that was over-the-counter at Walgreens. Later, he went back to Magic Mouthwash and it did help him again. What he told me is that right after taking the Magic Mouthwash, he tried to hurry and take in as much nutrition and water as possible before the numbing effects wore off. Sometimes you have to try different things. That applied to other meds as well, in my son's experience. The doctors would start with the least expensive and move up to more expensive meds if one didn't work. There is always something else to try if the results with one are less than expected. Everyone reacts differently.