What is Hidden in My Toothpaste?

Is toothpaste an essential item for cleaning your teeth? In the older days, there were only a few brands of toothpaste on the shelf, let alone different products from the same brand. Is it true that the brushing action is the one that plays the main role of getting rid of the plaque since you can not possibly brush your teeth with your bare hands? However, we have become so accustomed to brushing with toothpaste such that brushing without toothpaste maybe considered as unhygienic as well. So does toothpaste play a role in oral hygiene then? Read on for a list of the ingredients hidden in your toothpaste and see how it works for you.

Believe it or not, abrasives are one of the components found in our toothpaste. Examples include alumina, silica, pumice, sodium bicarbonate and calcium pyrophosphate, all of which when combined with the brushing action, aids in removing the plaque from our teeth and gums. However, the proportions of the abrasives should be just appropriate so that they do not go to the other extreme which is eroding the enamel that will predispose to tooth decay.

Next on the list will be decay prevention agents. As an essential ingredient in both the toothpaste as well as for toothpaste advertisement, fluoride strengthens the teeth enamel. This will prevent forming of cavities which can act as a focal point of tooth decay. Similarly, the amount of fluoride in our toothpaste is properly balanced as excessive fluoride ingestion does no good as it may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Another common decay prevention agent is xylitol. Although it is use as an artificial sweetener in soft drinks and lozenges, studies have shown that it helps to promote re-mineralization of teeth during dental decay and hence prevent cavity formation.

Tartar control is also a common word heard in all toothpaste advertisement. So what is tartar? Tartar is formed when plaque deposits harden after mixing with minerals present in our saliva. The gradual buildup of tartar eventually leads to gum disease. As such tartar control agents such as pyrophosphate are commonly incorporated to prevent formation of tartar. Note that, this agent only prevents tartar and not break down tartar formation. So once tartar has been formed, no toothpaste can remove it. This is where the professional cleaning by the dentist becomes helpful.

Increasingly popular nowadays are toothpaste which the companies claimed are specifically design for sensitive teeth. Basically, what sensitive teeth means is the discomfort felt upon contact with hot or cold foods and drinks. This occurs when there is receding gums, which exposes the underlying sensitive nerve roots. So in view of that, desensitizing agents such as strontium chloride and potassium nitrate will help block or reduce the ability of nerves to transmit pain.

Finally, detergents are also present in toothpaste as they can produce foams that will help to emulsify plaque deposits and dissolve lipid soluble substances that will not be otherwise removed by water alone. The foam also reduces surface tension hence enhancing penetration of beneficial active ingredients mention earlier. An example of detergents used in toothpaste are sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium stearyl lactate. Unfortunately these ingredients can cause canker sores in people who are sensitive to it.

However, we are aware that there are conflicting views about the various ingredients in our toothpaste in terms of what is safe and what is not safe as well as how much is safe. Looking up the websites can sometimes make you even more confuse than before, so my advice is maybe you should ask your dentist what is their recommended toothpaste or in fact what he or she uses and you can perhaps follow suit on their choices. So the next time you reach for your toothpaste, you can be sure that it does have a certain function in helping to prolong your oral hygiene and health.