10 Bizarre Facts about your Toothpaste
Majority of us find it very difficult choosing an ideal paste that can give us cavity-free fresh whiter teeth. Such inability of ours is linked to three major issues: misleading advertisements, shear lack of general awareness about functioning of toothpastes, and availability of unlimited number of brands each claiming superior to others.
Reaching to near-ideal toothpaste is not only essential for ensuring improved oral hygiene, it also requires for protecting your teeth from early decay. In order to help you out finding useful toothpaste and keeping up oral hygiene, here I have listed 10 bizarre facts about toothpastes, knowledge of which will empower you protecting your teeth wisely.
1. Fluoride that matters
Quantity and quality of fluoride that all matter in making a toothpaste highly effective. Whatever improvised ingredients might the manufacturers say offering in their toothpastes, you need to check the existence of fluoride. You are free to check whether your paste contains ingredients for breath freshening, tartar control, and teeth whitening, but Academy of General Dentistry says one must brush her/his teeth twice daily using fluoride toothpaste in order to help stop tooth decay by at least 40 percent. “Even in areas where there is water fluoridation, the added fluoride in toothpaste has been shown to be very beneficial,” adds Caryn Loftis-Solie, RDH, president of the American Dental Hygiene Association (ADHA).
2. Whitening toothpastes work better
Up to certain extent, whitening toothpastes work better. However, they can’t be compared with the professional whitening treatments to brighten your smile, as these products do not contain bleach in general. “Whitening toothpastes—like all toothpastes—contain mild abrasives to help remove surface stains on your teeth,” says Dr. Clifford Whall, PhD, director of the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance Program. “The shape of the particles used in whitening products, though, is modified to clean those stains away better, so you’ll see a noticeable difference in how your teeth look.”
3. Brushing technique is more important than the toothpaste brand
How you brush your teeth that really matter than what you use. Even if you have best quality paste and brush at your disposal, you can’t achieve noticeable improvement at your dental front, until you follow permitted ways of brushing. “To do it properly, you need to position the brush at a 45 degree angle so that you get some of the bristles in between the tooth and the gums,” says Dr. Whall. “Move the brush in small circles in those areas, and then continue on to the rest of the teeth. This process should take about one to two minutes to complete.”
4. American Dental Association gives approval after suitably examining effectiveness
Check if your about-to-buy product contains requisite seal of approval from the ADA. Cheap local products generally do not receive such approval owing to non-compliance of safety-standard norms. These non-approved products may jeopardise your dental health. “You should always look for the ADA Seal when choosing a toothpaste,” adds Dr. Whall. “Only those products have the scientific data to back up their claims and have been proven to meet our criteria for safety and effectiveness.”
5. All toothpastes contain common thickening, foaming, and adhesive elements
You will be surprised to know that all toothpastes contain very common thickening, foaming, and adhesive elements in spite of claiming to be entirely different from each other. Ingredients like detergent and seaweed are very common in all most all categories of fluoride toothpastes. Seaweed colloids, mineral colloids together with natural gums constitute common thickening agents of the toothpastes, advocates ADA. Sodium lauryl sulfate is in widespread use in toothpastes to create foaming action. ADA certifies these elements as absolutely safe and effective.
6. Pea-size amount of toothpaste is ideal
Opposing to what you believe, you actually require a very small amount of paste to clean your teeth effectively. A brush full of toothpaste merely helps you making your teeth pearl white. E. Jane Crocker, RHD, president of the Massachusetts Dental Hygienists’ Association, says, “All you need is a pea-size amount of toothpaste—yes, I mean the little green vegetable!” It has been proved that a small amount of paste can only work effectively in removing one’s plaque and food debris.
7. Pastes and gels both work alike
You need not to bother about pastes or gels. They both work alike. Only thing, you can choose them as per your personal choice. There’s really no tricks work behind formulating paste or gel toothpastes. “Other than flavor, texture and how it makes a person feel, there aren’t any major differences among the various forms,” contends Crocker. “I think it comes down to personal preference, which might come through trial and error. I encourage my patients to use whichever product encourages them to brush.”
8. Organic toothpastes function even better
Most people consider organic toothpastes as inferior to the regular ones. The conception is not correct. Experts say, organic toothpastes with fluoride even work better. “Natural and organic toothpastes that include fluoride in their ingredients are as effective as regular toothpastes with fluoride,” says Crocker. These products also help you avoid artificial preservatives, dyes, and sweeteners.
9. Change brands of toothpaste and brush regularly
Staying within the purview of the above stated facts, you are advised not to continue with the same brands of toothpaste together with toothbrush for a prolonged period of time. Rotating paste and brush at regular interval helps avoiding perilous effects of any particular brand. It also gives you opportunity to get exposed to any improved model that come to market from time to time.
10. Use special toothpastes suiting special needs
Special needs such as brushing kids’, smokers’, and dentures teeth require special kind of toothpastes. Children often fail to spit out fluoride pastes while washing; they, hence, should be encouraged to use non-fluoride pastes. Fluoride pastes if not washed adequately may develop permanent stains. Smokers require toothpaste that can remove the stains of nicotine. Similarly, you may require special kind of toothpastes to suit your varied requirements.
The above tips are not complete as far as teeth protection is concerned. To check what paste suits you better accommodating your geographic location and personnel, you may consider consulting your dentist to guide you keeping your teeth odour free white.