What Toothpaste Should I Get?
Toothpaste are pretty much all the same aren’t they? Well technically speaking they’re very similar but we’re here to talk about the nuances between all the different kinds and why spending time choosing the right one will benefit you in the long term.
Contents of a Toothpaste
Humectants: prevents toothpaste from drying out e.g. glycerol and sorbitol
Abrasives: helps clean your teeth e.g. silica
Water: to keep things as a paste and not a powder
Detergents: helps loosen up plaque and causes the foaminess e.g. sodium lauryl sulphate or SLS
Binders: helps combine the solid and liquid parts together e.g. natural gums - arabic and karaya and seaweed colloids (alginates)
Flavours: to make it more fun and feeling fresh
Therapeutic agents: such as fluoride to help protect your teeth
Preservatives: to help make toothpaste stable and longer lasting
Fluoride vs. No Fluoride
We do recommend fluoride when brushing your teeth. But isn’t fluoride man-made and bad for your health. Like everything, fluoride is a natural occurring element similar to chloride or chlorine - that’s in swimming pools and even your gut as stomach acids. But like everything in life, its all about moderations. Having too much fluoride can lead to problems such as fluorosis in growing teeth. Some people prefer no fluoride too which is fine, but can increase risk of decay and wear of your teeth. This is because when your enamel has fluoride in its outer layer, it takes higher concentration of acids to dissolve - which is how bacteria causes cavities. In some cases too, fluoride can help reverse the effects of decay at the start. However, if you brush with the right technique and floss too as mentioned in the previous post, you will be fine.
So how does fluoride work? Well, time for a bit of chemistry. So your enamel is made from hydroxyapatite crystals which are basically calcium and phosphate attached together. When you eat lots of sugars, the bacteria feed on this and release acids that attack the surfaces of your teeth and separates the calcium and phosphates into separate ions. If fluoride is around, it'll actually form into something else called fluorapatite which is a fluoride stuck in there. This new stuff is better as it takes stronger acids to separate it out into their ions again. There're other benefits to fluoride too like making it harder for bacteria to attach to teeth enamel.
I mean you don't need it but that's the same as not needing a phone cover until you drop your phone and think was it worth having no fluoride.
Amount of Fluoride
Now that we know fluoride is good. How much do we use? Too little and you don't really notice the benefits. Too much and it's bad for you. The recommended amount of fluoride for adults is 1,000-1,500ppm.
For kids younger than 18months you shouldn't use toothpaste as they usually just eat everything and will swallow the toothpaste which can cause fluorosis of teeth both baby and adult teeth. But if you are at risk of decay then you should modify the amounts as recommended
It's usually recommended to also not rinse your mouth after brushing you teeth with fluoridated toothapste. There's no harm in rinsing but just means that you may not get the full benefits of fluoride that's all.
For those who live in an area without fluoridated water, brushing with fluoridated toothpaste is adequate. There's no need to add add fluoride to the water as this can lead to having too much fluoride especially for children's teeth causing fluorosis.
For those with high risk of decay, I recommend using Colgate's Neutrafluor 5000 toothpaste. I contains 5x the amount of fluoride found in normal toothpaste that will try to slow down the rate of decay.
Sensitive Toothpaste
For people who have sensitive teeth, you can use sensitive toothpaste such as Sensodyne and Colgate's Pro-Relief. So sensitive toothpaste can either cover up the tooth by forming a physical barrier or by desensitising the nerves. The active ingredients of each are stannous fluoride and potassium nitrate so you may need to experiment to see which one works better for you. Keep in mind that stannous fluoride is good at protecting the teeth against acid attacks such as for those who have acid reflux or drink lots of wine.
Whitening and Charcoal Toothpaste
Many of you may be curious about whitening toothpaste or charcoal toothpaste as seen in social media. Whitening toothpaste works to a degree but at what costs. It works by scratching the surface of your teeth and may contain low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. It works for those who get lots of stains on their teeth but for the majority, it's probably gonna do more damage than good such as causing sensitivity in your teeth.
Charcoal toothpaste has no evidence that it works but rather the charcoal is very abrasive meaning it'll wear into your teeth.
If you want whiter teeth, talk to your dentist and they can help guide you in the right direction that's appropriate for you.
