Archive for October, 2008

Toothpaste is abrasive – that’s part of its job. The mild abrasives in toothpaste can aid in removing plaque and film from your teeth. However, there is some controversy over how much damage the abrasive components of toothpaste may cause. Some people, in the quest of very white teeth, will scrub relentlessly with great vigor. If they use a lot of any toothpaste, or especially a higher abrasive content paste, they can actually thin the tooth’s enamel and thereby let more of the yellow dentin inside the tooth show through. If you’d like to do a fun test at home, try this out: take one of those junk CD’s that seem to collect around the house. You know, the free offers that come in the mail or an old computer disk that you don’t want anymore. (Make sure it’s a disk you don’t need or want!) Take your favorite toothbrush, powered or manual, and rinse it really well to make sure it has no toothpaste on it. Then time yourself for two minutes as you brush one spot on the shiny disk surface with just water and the brush. Next, rotate the disk 180 degrees and brush the other side for two minutes, this time using toothpaste. Rinse the disk clean, and notice where the shiny finish is dulled. You have scratched the surface in just two minutes! You will notice that the side that had the brush and water is not scratched up, but the side with the toothpaste is. Toothpaste is the abrasive here, not your brush. The brush is what is needed to clean food and plaque off your teeth, and toothpaste is only to apply fluoride and make things taste and feel good. Now remember, your teeth have enamel that is far stronger than the plastic on the CD, but if you think of a lifetime of care the less abrasive the better.

So fluoride is the real reason to use toothpaste. Fluoride helps remineralize tooth structure, making it stronger and less sensitive. Fluoride reduces the chances for decay, or cavities, to attack tooth structure. Toothpaste should be used very sparingly. A dab the size of your little fingernail should do it – you still get the fluoride and you don’t get too much abrasive. Or another option is to just use the brush with water, and then use a fluoride rinse to get the fluoride all around and in between the teeth.

In summary, toothpaste is fine… in moderation. The brush is the most important part – use a good quality soft brush, with little if any toothpaste, and a fluoride rinse to supplement.