What’s in toothpaste and how should I pick?

 

Toothpaste no longer comes in simple choices of fluoride and fresh breath. Paste is not even the only option! You also have a choice of an array of colors and flavors. With so many varieties available, it may be difficult to know which features or combinations of ingredients are best for your mouth. Dr. Chauvin and our amazing Lafayette Louisiana team are here to help!

When it comes to dental care products, toothpaste is one of the most important components of proper dental hygiene for kids and adults. It cleans and polishes your teeth and removes bacteria and plaque that cause gum disease, dental decay, and bad breath. Toothpastes contain various ingredients that work in different ways. Detergents produce foaming action to better remove plaque and food particles. Abrasives help remove stains, and fluoride strengthens and protects teeth. The toothpaste you choose should reflect your personal dental care needs.

Types of toothpaste

• Fluoride Toothpaste –  The most common ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride.  It aids in cleaning the teeth and strengthening the enamel.
• Desensitizing Toothpaste – Contains active ingredients such as potassium nitrate or arginine that assist in blocking the nerve pathways from the tooth.
• Whitening Toothpaste –  Usually does not contain bleaches but contain relatively coarse abrasives which function by abrading the stains on the tooth surface, giving a whitening effect. You may want to keep in mind that whitening toothpaste does not do the job of a professional bleaching – it simply helps to remove minor stains and touch up a faded smile and are often too harsh for the average tooth.
• Tartar Controlled Toothpaste – These help to prevent any further build up of tarter but cannot reach the tartar that collects below your gum line. However some companies are looking to produce toothpaste which fights gum disease.
• Smokers Toothpaste –  These are specially designed to remove nicotine and tar stains on teeth caused by smoking.
• Children’s Toothpaste –  These are fairly similar to the adult versions the only difference being that they will contain a smaller amount of fluoride and have more child friendly flavors.

One very important thing to know about your toothpaste is it’s abrasivity.  Toothpaste makers regularly measure their product’s abrasivity. It’s necessary for FDA approval, and usually is not included in marketing. Abrasivity measurements are given by what’s known as an RDA value which stands for radioactive dentin abrasion or relative dentin abrasivity.

There is an ever changing chart to keep up with the values. Anything below 70-80 RDA is considered low abrasive.

 

RDA	Dentifrice brand and variety	Source
07	straight baking soda	Church & Dwight
08	Arm & Hammer Tooth Powder	Church & Dwight
30	Elmex Sensitive Plus	Elmex
35	Arm & Hammer Dental Care	Church & Dwight
42	Arm & Hammer Advance White Baking Soda Peroxide	Church & Dwight
44	Squigle Enamel Saver	Squigle
48	Arm & Hammer Dental Care Sensitive	Church & Dwight
49	Arm & Hammer Peroxicare Tartar Control	Church & Dwight
49	Tom’s of Maine Sensitive (given as 40’s)	Tom’s
52	Arm & Hammer Peroxicare Regular	Church & Dwight
53	Rembrandt Original (RDA)	Rembrandt
54	Arm & Hammer Dental Care PM Bold Mint	Church & Dwight
57	Tom’s of Maine Children’s, Wintermint (given as mid-50’s)	Tom’s
62	Supersmile	Supersmile
63	Rembrandt Mint (‘Heffernan RDA’)	Rembrandt
68	Colgate Regular	Colgate-Palmolive
70	Colgate Total	Colgate-Palmolive
70	Arm & Hammer Advance White Sensitive	Church & Dwight
70	Colgate 2-in-1 Fresh Mint (given as 50-70)	Colgate-Palmolive
79	Sensodyne	Colgate-Palmolive
80	AIM	Unilever
80	Close-Up	Unilever
83	Colgate Sensitive Maximum Strength	Colgate-Palmolive
91	Aquafresh Sensitive	Colgate-Palmolive
93	Tom’s of Maine Regular (given as high 80’s low 90’s)	Squigle (Tom’s)
94	Rembrandt Plus	Rembrandt
94	Plus White	Indiana study
95	Crest Regular (possibly 99)	P&G (P&G)
101	Natural White	Indiana study
103	Mentadent	Squigle
103	Arm & Hammer Sensation	Church & Dwight
104	Sensodyne Extra Whitening	Colgate-Palmolive
106	Colgate Platinum	Indiana study
106	Arm & Hammer Advance White Paste	Church & Dwight
107	Crest Sensitivity Protection	Colgate-Palmolive
110	Colgate Herbal	Colgate-Palmolive
110	Amway Glister (given as upper bound)	Patent US06174515
113	Aquafresh Whitening	Indiana study
117	Arm & Hammer Advance White Gel	Church & Dwight
117	Arm & Hammer Sensation Tartar Control	Church & Dwight
120	Close-Up with Baking Soda (canadian)	Unilever
124	Colgate Whitening	Indiana study
130	Crest Extra Whitening	Indiana study
133	Ultra brite (or 120-140)	Indiana study (or Colgate-Palmolive)
144	Crest MultiCare Whitening	P&G
145	Ultra brite Advanced Whitening Formula	P&G
145	Colgate Baking Sode & Peroxide Whitening (given as 135-145)	Colgate-Palmolive
150	Pepsodent (given as upper bound)	Unilever
165	Colgate Tartar Control (given as 155-165)	Colgate-Palmolive
168	Arm & Hammer Dental Care PM Fresh Mint	Church & Dwight
200	Colgate 2-in-1 Tartar Control/Whitening or Icy Blast/Whitening (given as 190-200)	Colgate-Palmolive
200	recommended limit	FDA
250	recommended limit	ADA

 

The ADA Seal

The most important thing you should look for when buying toothpaste is the seal of the ADA (American Dental Association). According to Dr. Ada Cooper, an ADA spokesperson, “This shows the product has been tested, its claims are legitimate and its ingredients are effective.”

The ADA seal indicates that the toothpaste contains fluoride, an ingredient that removes plaque. One of the biggest threats to your dental health, plaque is a sticky film of bacteria that forms on the teeth and gums and can cause tooth decay and gum disease.

You may also want to consider the flavor of your toothpaste. You are more likely to use toothpaste in a flavor you enjoy. If you’re curious about testing a new flavor, but aren’t sure whether you will like it, try a travel-sized tube instead of a full size. Or, ask your favorite Lafayette La dentist, Dr. Chauvin for a sample during your next dental visit!

 

Visiting your dentist

Once you find the toothpaste that is right for you it is important to keep up with good dental hygiene. Brush and floss your teeth twice a day and make sure you schedule your routine teeth cleaning every six months with Dr. Chauvin.