Some people love to question everything—including the helpfulness of toothpaste. You must admit, this does seem too interesting to pass up. Come to think of it, we have used toothpaste for a lot of years, probably ever since someone somewhere first decided it would be a good idea. But how do we know if it’s helping or hurting us? Easy, we ask the question.
Toothpaste is one of the key parts of our dental hygiene routine. We use it, along with our toothbrush, mouthwash, and floss to help rid our teeth and mouth of food debris and plaque. This dental product usually comes in a gel, powder, or paste form and while there are different brands and types of toothpaste, its general components usually include fluoride, mild abrasive, humectants, flavoring agents like mint, thickening agents, and detergent. If you want something more exact, this is a typical formulation of most toothpaste: abrasive 10-40%; humectant 20-70%; water 5-30%; binder 1-2%; detergent 1-3%; flavor 1-2%; preservative 0.05-0.5%; and therapeutic agent 0.1-0.5%.
Since there are different types of toothpaste, other types also have other ingredients added for added benefits. Yes, you read that right. Toothpaste is very helpful. To give you an idea of just how much, here are some of the things it helps us with:
Decay prevention
Fluoride is one of the main ingredients of most toothpaste. It is considered a natural cavity fighter. It also helps strengthen teeth enamel besides fighting tooth decay. Of course, not all toothpaste contains fluoride. Toothpaste for kids, for example, doesn’t have it. This is because fluoride can also be harmful in large quantities. And since it’s already found in the water, it’s not added in most kids’ toothpaste anymore since they’re more likely to swallow the toothpaste instead of spitting it back out.
Plaque and gingivitis prevention
Several kinds of toothpaste contain active ingredients like stannous fluoride—a chemical compound that helps kill plaque bacteria in the mouth. This helps prevent plaque and gingivitis, which is an early form of gum disease. If you have swollen, red, and bleeding gums, these are sure signs of gingivitis. And when left untreated, it can develop into periodontitis, which is a far more serious condition that leads to gum recession and teeth loss.
The best accessory we can wear every day is our smile. Therefore, it would be a great idea to invest in our smiles by taking care of our teeth with the help of toothpaste. Most toothpaste contains special chemical or polishing agents like the low-dose version of hydrogen peroxide, which is quite known for its whitening effect on teeth. It is the active ingredient in most whitening systems used in dentists’ offices as well. So, if you’re looking for a little extra sparkle in your smile, “whitening” toothpaste can help you with this.
Desensitizing
Sensitive teeth can also be another problem that toothpaste can help us out with. Toothpaste usually contains compounds like potassium nitrate, to help with tooth sensitivity. Potassium nitrate shields nerve endings from irritants and blocks pain signals traveling from a nerve in your tooth to your brain. This should bring you relief.
The harmful effects of toothpaste
Yes, toothpaste is surprisingly toxic. Sure, it is effective in removing and preventing plaque build-up, preventing cavities and gingivitis, teeth whitening, etc., but some of its ingredients aren’t safe. For one, children who accidentally swallow toothpaste with fluoride will most likely experience vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and other low-grade gastrointestinal symptoms.
When we say it is toxic, it doesn’t mean that swallowing a little bit of toothpaste accidentally while brushing will kill you. Most traditional toothpaste is made with very few concentrations of fluoride and other chemicals. If, however, you eat or swallow an entire tube of toothpaste, abdominal pain is the least of your worries. You could experience convulsions, vomiting, intestinal blockages, shocks, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, weakness, or even a heart attack.
The toxins in toothpaste could also irritate your mouth over time. These toxins include artificial coloring like titanium dioxide; artificial sweeteners like sorbitol, saccharin, and xylitol; aspartame; carrageenan; Cocamidopropyl betaine; diethanolamine; fluoride (of course); parabens; perfluoro-hexane sulfonic acid; propylene glycol; saccharin; sodium lauryl sulfate; titanium dioxide; and triclosan.
Is fluoride harmful?
Fluoride is one of the common ingredients added to most dental hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwashes. This is because fluoride can decrease the risk of cavities and tooth decay. Research has shown over and over how a tiny amount of fluoride can contribute to stronger and healthier teeth and gums. However, a lot of people still believe that it is simply not worth the risk.
The acute toxic effects of fluoride poisoning include vomiting, nausea, hypocalcemia, hypersalivation, tetany of the hands and feet, failure of the renal and respiratory systems, hypotension, and finally, coma and convulsions that could lead to death. The chronic effects, on the other hand, include dental fluorosis, gastric irritation, skeletal fluorosis, numbness, birth defects, muscular spasms, insufficient renal system, and cancer.
Is hydrogen peroxide toxic?
Yes, hydrogen peroxide is an effective teeth whitener. However, some research suggests that it deeply penetrates a tooth’s enamel which causes harm to the surface of the tooth, therefore weakening it. A weakened tooth surface means a weakened enamel, which could result in loss of minerals and susceptibility to visible scratches and dents.
In addition to that, hydrogen peroxide in toothpaste and other oral care products tends to pass through the enamel and into the dentin and pulp of the teeth where it causes minor inflammations. This inflammation, in turn, causes heightened sensitivity in your teeth.
Dental health care products have changed and improved over several decades. When fluoride was first introduced in the 1960s, it resulted in the development of toothpaste with anticaries efficacy. These toothpaste, when used properly, are fairly safe and extremely efficient in preventing gingival inflammation, dental caries, and dental plaque formation. It must be said, however, that the use of fluoride-containing toothpaste by young children has to be closely supervised by parents to prevent fluoride ingestion.