Which toothpaste should I buy
As there are many different types of toothpaste available in the supermarket, my hygienist Katherine and myself are frequently asked which one is the best.
There are 5 different families of toothpaste. The first and most common is anti-decay toothpaste. This will contain a fluoride compound such as sodium fluoride. If the fluoride content on the back of the box is more than 1,000 ppm or parts per million; they are effective at preventing tooth decay. Children’s toothpaste typically contains 500 ppm of fluoride. If you are a patient of mine that’s received a prescription for toothpaste, this could have as much as 5,000 ppm of fluoride in it. This could be because I want to prevent against decay around a lot of crowns or fillings that you have because you may have a higher decay rate than others. These would typically be renewed at your checkup or appointment and these are only available on prescription.
The second family is desensitizing toothpaste. You may have heard or used Sensodyne, etc. These have an active ingredient of potassium nitrate or arginine. They work in two ways; one, they interrupt the pain stimuli in the nerve. And the second way is, they block little tubes that feed through the tooth so that the pain can’t be transferred to the center where the nerve is situated. If the pain persists even after using the desensitizing toothpaste, please ask me at your checkup. What could be the cause? It may be that it’s a bite problem and it is being mimicked as tooth sensitivity. In this practice, I do tend to see quite a lot of abrasive brushing as well. Patients tend to overdo it so Katherine or myself, can advise you on how to brush effectively without damaging the tooth.
The third kind is anti-calculus or anti-tartar toothpaste. This type attempts to reduce the hardening of the creamy layer that’s built up over the tooth throughout the course of the day. The active ingredient here is normally something like zinc citrate.
The fourth kind is anti-plaque, a similar kind of mechanism. The difference is they are trying to stop any plaque or creamy layer that forms within 45 minutes of brushing your teeth. These have an active ingredient such as triclosan inside them.
The last family of toothpaste is the whitening toothpaste. These typically have very mild to no results, but what is more concerning is the coarse, abrasiveness which function by abrading the stains on the tooth surface. This gives that minimal whitening effect. However, the long-term effects of this kind of toothpaste are still unknown as we are grinding down or abrading the front surface or the surface of the teeth.
If you do have any questions on this after reading this article, please ask Katherine or myself at your next visit, which one we think would suit you best. Call us today on 020 7580 5954