Best Toothpastes that most dentists recommend

best toothpasteWhat is the best toothpaste? A search on the internet is likely to turn up around 200 results for different types of toothpaste you can easily purchase. With so many types, brands and flavors to choose from, how can you know which is the best toothpaste for your oral health?

In years past, consumers could simply look for a paste endorsed by the ADA. Today, however, it seems that most stores carry a wide array of ADA approved brands. From a dentist’s perspective, patients should choose a toothpaste or dentifrice they like. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? After brushing, you should feel like your mouth is clean and your breath is fresh.  However, there are many other bells and whistles you can consider.

Your best bet for keeping your teeth and gums healthy between dental appointments is by having thorough at home dental hygiene habits. This all starts with quality paste.

Toothpaste Contents

Abrasive Content

Half of the ingredients in a typical toothpaste is made up of abrasives. These tiny materials scrub your teeth of plaque and food particles much like abrasives can exfoliate your skin. Whitening toothpastes may contain extra abrasives to polish your teeth and removes stains.

While using pastes with whitening claims is not bad for your teeth, excessive use can wear away enamel and create tooth sensitivity. In fact brushing your teeth with abrasive toothpastes and an electric toothbrush will remove enamel. Using Arm & Hammer baking soda with lemon juice might be too abrasive also.

Fluoride Toothpaste

One of the most popular ingredients in toothpaste, sodium fluoride helps prevent cavities. This mineral can be found naturally in some plants, animals, and water sources. Fluoride is also added to public water supplies, mouthwashes, and can be applied in treatments. Enamel benefits from the mineral strengthening substance, creating a better shield for your teeth against tooth decay.

Surfactant Content

This ingredient allows toothpaste to foam. When the paste foams it spreads throughout the mouth evenly. Surfactants allow the dentifrice to reach between teeth. It goes into the small crevices where toothbrushes may not be able to clean. Surfactants can also be found in other hygiene products that foam, like shampoo, face wash, and hand soap.

Toothpaste Contain Oils

Freshening breath and encouraging people to brush more are the two main goals of flavoring. Peppermint, spearmint, and wintergreen oils are the most popular flavor ingredients. However, paste developers are getting creative at giving you fresh breath. Exotic flavors like apricot, cinnamon, lavender, ginger, bubblegum, and orange are becoming more widely available. Alternative flavors often encourage children and people who do not like to brush to keep a daily oral hygiene routine.

Toothpaste Types and Special Features

Most oral care pastes today have active ingredients in them. There are very few fully natural toothpastes available. Most people want something that protects against cavities and gum disease. Perhaps it can do a little gentle whitening and have a nice mint flavor. When choosing a paste for your family, you want to make a good decision.

There are aisles and aisles of dentifrices in the drugstore. Choosing one may seem overwhelming. There is a perfect “cheat” to help you out. Just look for the American Dental Association seal of approval. This symbol means that the toothpaste manufacturer has participated in a voluntary testing program conducted by the ADA. The test is done to ensure the product’s safety and effectiveness. Pastes that don’t do what they claim to do, contain sugar, etc. will not get the label.

Whitening Pastes:

If your tooth enamel tends to soak up staining agents (like tea, coffee, and tobacco) consider a whitening toothpaste. Most of these pastes combine the bleaching action of baking soda with mild abrasives to whisk away surface stains.

Sensitive Teeth Paste:

Do hot or cold foods make you cringe? You may have thin/damaged tooth enamel, or maybe your gums have receded so that your teeth roots are exposed. Some people are genetically predisposed to tooth sensitivity.

Regardless of why your teeth hurt, a type of toothpaste specially made for sensitive teeth may help. The most common brand is Sensodyne, though there are many brands on the market.

Tartar Control Paste:

If you’re one of the many people who tend to accumulate plaque and tartar easily, try tartar control type of paste. When plaque hardens into tartar, it’s not water soluble so it’s very difficult to remove. Tartar control toothpaste contains sodium pyrophosphate, which is water soluble. Tartar is attracted to and bonds with sodium pyrophosphate on teeth. The tartar can be easily removed because it’s bonded to a water soluble material.

Generally, pastes should include gentle abrasives such as magnesium or calcium carbonate, silica gels, aluminum oxides, or phosphate salts.  Pastes also include substances that keep the paste from drying out such as glycerol, sorbitol, or other “humectants”. Lastly, they often contain thickeners to give the paste a homogenous appearance and texture. These thickeners would be listed as seaweed, mineral colloids, synthetic cellulose, or natural gum.

Training paste:

Most of the best toothpastes contain fluoride, but non-fluoridated paste (sometimes termed “toddler” or “training” paste) does not contain fluoride. Children under two years of age often swallow paste. Over time, fluoride can build up in your child’s body. This buildup can cause bright white, horizontal lines on permanent teeth. This is called fluorosis.

Cavity preventing paste:

Quality pastes should also contain fluoride to help make tooth enamel stronger and more resistant to decay. It is alright to have flavoring agents that do not cause tooth decay. Many pastes have detergents, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, to make the paste foamy.

Learn more about which types of toothpaste are best for you

Do you have questions about getting rid of bad breath? Visiting the dentist every six months for regular dental exams and cleanings is the best thing you can do for your oral health. At home dental hygiene is just as important. Call our office today 847.234.0517. Dr. Fondriest and our team serves patients in the North Shore and greater Chicago area.

 

Dr. Fondriest is a Nationally recognized and highly sought after cosmetic dentist. He serves clients from throughout the United States