toothpaste
Why use toothpaste?
Whoa. There are so many types.
What if I don’t want fluoride?
Can I just use whatever is on sale?
How do I know if there’s fluoride in the toothpaste?
What about those triple-action advanced repair detoxifying toothpastes? Surely it can’t be all marketing…
Why use toothpaste?
Fair question. The main point of brushing your teeth is to remove the bacterial buildup (aka plaque) that lead to tooth decay and gum disease. The physical contact of the bristles should be enough to do this. But toothpastes can give some additional benefits, so they are highly recommended.
Fluoride.
This is the biggest reason to use toothpaste. Fluoride strengthens the outer enamel layer of your tooth so it doesn’t lose as much calcium or soften as much when you eat or drink. This makes your teeth less susceptible to decay.
Fresh breath.
Because you’re worth it. Though sure, it isn’t absolutely essential if you’re just on Zoom all day.
Reduce sensitivity.
If you have generalised sensitivity to cold foods and drinks, using a sensitive toothpaste can help.
But make sure you see a dentist to confirm there’s no decay or other problem that might be causing it.
You might think that I should talk about whitening here. But (spoiler alert) toothpastes are not great at whitening, so I’ll deal with that topic separately. I shall name that page “whitening”.
Whoa. There are so many types.
Yeah, I hear ya. I ran a 90 minute tutorial on toothpastes to some dental students recently. But don’t panic, I’ll give you the short version.
Standard fluoride.
This is the vast majority of toothpastes on the shelf. In Australia, Oral B and Colgate are the most common brands, and all their toothpastes have fluoride.
If you think life is too short to be pondering toothpastes, just get the Colgate or Oral B tube with the LEAST exciting packaging on it and you’ll be right. I’m not sponsored by anybody, I’m just telling it like it is.
High fluoride.
Some people benefit from an extra fluoride boost because they are at higher risk of decay. Chat with your dentist to see if that’s you.
In Australia, the high fluoride toothpaste is called Colgate Neutrafluor 5000 Plus and you have to ask the pharmacist for it - ie it’s not on the shelf.
It’s more expensive, but it has around 5x more fluoride than standard.
Sensitive.
This is one of those rare areas of marketing where they are actually telling some semblance of truth.
Oral B, Colgate and the newer Sensodyne sensitive toothpastes all have special particles in them that protect the sensitive part of the tooth, often at the gumline.
IMPORTANT: If your tooth is sensitive because it has a decayed hole in it, you have to go get that poor tooth filled before it gets worse.
Whitening.
Don’t let this be the deciding factor in choosing your toothpaste.
Most brands just add abrasive particles to justify the “whitening” label. It scrubs away some surface stains, but that means you can risk damaging the tooth and gums over time.
Other brands include a “professional” peroxide. It’s a very low dose so it’s safe but fairly ineffectual.
Children’s.
Brands like Jack and Jill and Red Seal have no fluoride so can be used when a kid hasn’t learnt how to spit.
Kids’ toothpaste for under 6 year olds should have lower fluoride and milder flavour.
Kids’ toothpaste for 6+ have the full dose of fluoride. So they can use adult toothpaste, but kids’ versions contain more fun because the cartoon characters say so.
Hypo-allergenic.
If you are one of the unlucky people with allergies to artificial colours, flavours or detergents (SLS - sodium lauryl sulphate), it will be a bit harder to find a fluoride toothpaste in Australia.
But I don’t want you to miss out on the benefits of fluoride so I will make an exception and link to a product.
What if I don’t want fluoride?
What if I want a herbal alternative?
The only people who should use a non-fluoridated toothpaste are kids under 18 months or who don’t know how to spit it out yet.
Herbal extracts, charcoal, lemon, coconut or other oils simply do not protect the enamel.
However, Colgate has introduced a fluoridated natural range, so you can have it both ways now. There’s a new toothpaste on the market every other month so there might be more options in this category in the future.
Of course, it is a free world, so you can use a fluoride-free toothpaste if you want, but it’s not hugely better than brushing with plain water.
Can I just buy whatever’s on sale?
Sure! I do love a good bargain. Besides, there isn’t really one particular brand that is superior and deserving of blanket endorsement by the dental community.
Like I mentioned before, just make sure it has fluoride in it so it actually protects your teeth. If you have sensitive teeth, you can try the sensitive toothpastes.