Every single person in this world needs toothpaste to keep their teeth clean. If you don’t use toothpaste, you’re probably rocking some pretty gnarly breath. For other people out there who enjoy minty breath, toothpaste is a must-have toiletry. However, could your toothpaste be hurting your dental health?
There are a number of ways in which your favorite toothpaste brand could be harming your overall dental health. If they don’t have the right mix of additives and ingredients to break down plaque and fight bacteria, your toothpaste could be doing more harm than good. Let’s get into what makes a good brand of toothpaste.
Is Your Toothpaste Hurting Your Dental Health?
What Goes into Toothpaste
There are a number of things that go into creating effective toothpaste. One of the main ones is the additive fluoride, which helps to remineralize your teeth while also protecting their enamel lining. Another ingredient commonly seen is a food-grade abrasive of some kind. For instance, hydrated aluminum oxides, silicates and phosphate salts, calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate all act as abrasives. These help to get rid of plaque buildup and remove surface stains.
Flavoring agents are also common in toothpaste. Thankfully, the ADA doesn’t clear any toothpaste with tooth decaying materials like sugar, so chemicals like saccharine are used instead. Humectants, like glycerol and sorbitol, are also included to keep the toothpaste from drying out too quickly.
Sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate are often present in some capacity as detergents. These allow for the foaming action and also have properties that help them clean your teeth. Finally, binding or thickening agents, like natural gums or synthetic cellulose, are used to give the product a long shelf life and keep the complex mix of ingredients all together.
Which Toothpaste Should You Use?
Well, that’s a complex question. Really, it’s best to talk to your dentist about which toothpaste they think is the best for your teeth. Depending on your unique situation, such as whether you have sensitive teeth, stains, cavities or some other complication, you might want specialized toothpastes. In any event, there are a number of brands that are considered highly effective by dentists and users.
We’ll briefly go over some of the highest-rated toothpastes and explain why users love them. Of course, your mileage may vary, but this is a good starting point for people looking to upgrade.
Sensodyne Pronamel Toothpaste
Sensodyne’s Pronamel brand of toothpaste is great for protecting your tooth enamel. If you have very sensitive teeth you might have thin enamel or reduced enamel amounts. If you find your tooth sensitivity is a problem in your everyday life, consider using a Sensodyne toothpaste to help.
Your enamel is very important for a number of reasons. Not only does it keep your teeth safe from changes in temperature in food and drinks, it also keeps them safe from crumbling. The enamel on your teeth gives them structure, keeping them safe while chewing and crushing foods. As such, toothpastes that can protect your tooth enamel are quite important.
Acid erosion of the enamel on your teeth is actually quite common, even in young people. If you drink a lot of soda, energy drinks and the like you’re likely at higher risk of having your enamel erode at a young age. Toothpaste like Sensodyne can help your teeth to keep their enamel lining for longer.
Crest Pro-Health
Crest is one of the only toothpaste brands that uses stannous fluoride instead of sodium fluoride. This makes the Pro-Health toothpaste a great pick for people with chronic bad breath or issues with cavities. That’s because stannous fluoride is anti-bacterial as well as remineralizing. By killing the bacteria related to bad breath and cavities this toothpaste really takes care of your dental health.
The other cool thing that Crest Pro-Health does is help to whiten your teeth. If you’ve got stains on your teeth this can be a great way to gradually whiten your smile. Some have even reported that it can help with tooth sensitivity.
Conclusions
Toothpaste is a really important cornerstone of dental health and picking the right one is important. Remember, your unique dental situation could change which toothpaste is right for you. If you’ve got a unique dental health issue, don’t hesitate to speak to your dentist and make sure you’re picking the right toothpaste for your condition.
In any event, remember that there are a lot of things that go into complete dental health. Don’t forget to floss after you brush your teeth and brush at least twice daily!
