Sterling Smiles Lucas

Blog

Dental hygiene tips for healthy teeth & gums

What kind of toothpaste do dentists recommend?

When purchasing a tube of toothpaste, the sheer number of choices available can be daunting. Is it worth it to invest in tartar control? What with fluoride? Is it both? Often, consider whitening toothpaste or formulations made from all-natural ingredients. When selecting the right toothpaste for you, it’s important to consider your oral health requirements.

Fluoride Toothpaste
Fluoride is the most important product to search for. Fluoride is a mineral that is found in nature. Its use has played a crucial role in the significant decrease in tooth decay and cavity prevalence over the last 50 years.

Sugars and starches that stay on your teeth after eating act as an aid for bacteria in your mouth. When this occurs, fluoride protects the teeth from the acid that is emitted. This is accomplished in two respects. First, fluoride strengthens the tooth enamel, making it less vulnerable to acid damage.

Second, demineralizing areas that have begun to degrade can reverse the early stages of acid damage. Using fluoride toothpaste is an important step in ensuring that the teeth benefit from this helpful mineral.

Anti-plaque Toothpaste
Although you live in a place where the water is fluoridated, don’t think you should avoid it. Fluoride toothpaste has been shown in studies to improve fluoride content in teeth, including in places where water sources contain elevated amounts of the mineral.

Plaque is a coating of bacteria that coats everyone’s teeth. Plaque hardens into tartar if not dissolved promptly with good oral hygiene. This difficult-to-remove deposit will accumulate on your teeth and under your gums, causing gum disease.

To better avoid tartar deposits on the teeth, toothpaste contains several ingredients. Pyrophosphates and zinc citrate, for example, are often used and are reliable. Furthermore, some tartar-control toothpaste includes triclosan, an antibiotic that destroys some bacteria in the mouth. Certain toothpaste containing several anti-plaque agents has been much more effective at tartar control than those that only contain one.

Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth
For example, there is delicate toothpaste available for those who have teeth that are quickly irritated by hot or cold temperatures. Potassium nitrate or strontium chloride are commonly used in this toothpaste. These chemical compounds improve tooth sensitivity by blocking channels through the teeth that connect to nerves within the teeth, taking up to 4 weeks to provide relief.

Whitening Toothpaste
Many whitening kinds of toothpaste are now being sold daily to aid people in their search for pearly whites. Bleach is seldom used in whitening toothpaste. Instead, they include abrasive particles or chemicals that efficiently polish the teeth or stick to stains and assist in removing them from the tooth surface.

While you might be worried that whitening toothpaste’s abrasiveness would damage your teeth, tests show that whitening toothpaste is no more abrasive on tooth enamel than other toothpaste.

Consider your own and your family’s requirements. The right toothpaste is a matter of personal taste as long as you want fluoride-containing toothpaste. If you want to live an all-natural lifestyle, look for ADA-approved toothpaste made entirely of natural ingredients.

Why not pick fruit-flavored toothpaste with sparkles to entice your children to clean their teeth while you’re trying to instill healthy oral hygiene habits in them? Some people are happy to use whitening toothpaste to get their teeth clean again. Others like the sensation of cleaning their teeth with hydrogen peroxide or baking soda toothpaste. Ensure to visit your dentist for more information on different types of toothpaste available and then make a decision.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.