Skip to main content

Know your toothpaste

          Know your toothpaste
Toothpaste is used everyday in almost every house all over the world. But have you ever thought what all things does a toothpaste have? Which toothpaste is best for you? Let's have a look below.
Know your toothpaste
There are many types of toothpastes available in the market. First let's have a look on ingredients common in all toothpastes.


  1. ) Abrasives: They constitute 40% - 50% of a toothpaste. Abrasives along with your toothbrush help cleaning the tooth surface. They remove plaque, debris and some surface stains from the teeth. Some common abrasives used in toothpaste are calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate. Nowadays, silicone oxides, aluminum oxides and granular polyvinyl chloride are commonly used. These abrasives are rough enough to Clean the surface of tooth but gentle enough to avoid damage to its surface.
  2. ) Water: 20% - 40%
  3. ) Humectants: They help maintain moisture in the toothpaste thus preventing it from drying out.  Glycerin, sorbitol, mannitol, propylene glycol are commonly used.
  4. ) Foaming agents: They are detergents like sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). They create foam upon the surface of teeth and improve the cleansing action of toothpaste by distributing it evenly.
     Some of you might suffer from frequent mouth sores or mouth ulcers after using toothpaste, it may be due SLS. If it is so then look for an SLS free toothpaste.

5. ) Thickening agent: Synthetic sodium carboxy methyl cellulose is used to maintain texture of a toothpaste.

6. ) Preservatives:  Benzoic acid

7. ) Flavouring agents: 2% essential oils like peppermint, spearmint and Wintergreen are used. Other synthetic flavours like bubblegum, lemon, vanilla and orange are used.

8.) Sweetening agents: Sachharin, sorbitol, mannitol imparts sweet taste to the toothpaste.

9.) Fluoride: This is the most important ingredient to look for when you choose your toothpaste. It is the key ingredient which helps fight cavities. It makes your teeth stronger and also helps in remineralizing the damaged tooth surface. Flouride in the form of sodium monofluorophosphate, sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride or olaflur is present.

Other components to know in your       toothpaste :
  • Triclosan:  It is an anti bacterial agent and a common ingredient used in toothpastes. It reduces tartar and bad breath and also prevents bleeding of gums.
  • Xylitol:  Prevents cavities and also prevents toothpaste from drying out.
  • Sensitivity toothpaste: If your teeth are sensitive to hot and cold beverages then look for a toothpaste containing strontium salts, sodium fluoride or potassium nitrate. 
  • Whitening toothpaste: They contain abrasive particles like hydrated aluminum oxides, mica, silicas, calcium carbonate which polish your teeth. According to some dentists, toothpastes with RDA (Relative dentin abrasivity) value more than 50 should not be used daily. Bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide are used in whitening toothpastes.
     Although whitening toothpastes are often claimed safe for daily use, but long-term use should be avoided as they may cause sensitivity.

So choose your toothpaste smartly!!

Hope you like the article " Know your toothpaste".... 

Articles you may like:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 most common reasons of toothache

3 Most common reasons of toothache - Many of you might have had experienced toothache . It becomes difficult to eat and drink and many times the toothache is really excruciating. Here, let us know 3 most common reasons of  toothache  and  sensitivity . 1)  caries/ cavities:  Caries in the begining are painless and therefore neglected by many people. When caries advance they infect inner layers of tooth called  dentin  and  pulp . Pulp is the inside core region of tooth having nerves and blood vessels. Once the carious infection reaches pulp toothache begins. Further, infection advances to reach the tooth root and adjacent bone causing severe toothache and swelling. 2)  Tooth abrasion:  Brushing with hard bristles tooth brush, using abrasive toothpastes and tooth powders wears off the outer most protective layer of tooth called  enamel.  This exposes inner dentin which has tiny nerve endings. Tooth becomes se...
6 comments
Read more

Why does your teeth turn yellow?

Are you concerned with your yellow dirty teeth which gets on worsening? Let's know the reasons why our teeth become stained and dirty.  Poor oral hygiene  due to inadequate and improper brushing leads to accumulation of plaque. Slowly calcium starts depositing into the plaque to form hard creamish white to yellowish brown calculus on your teeth. [1] Habits like smoking, chewing tobacco [2] and betel nuts stain your teeth. Certain foods and drinks like tea, coffee, red wine, pomegranates etc. if taken frequently may stain the teeth. Prolonged use of chlorhexidine mouthwash wash [3]  may stain your teeth brown. Consumption of  tetracycline antibiotics by the mother during pregnancy or by the child during the years of tooth development discolors the teeth. [4] Trauma or injury to the tooth may turn it yellow or grey. Fluorosis :  Some areas have higher levels of fluoride in the water. Chronic excessive exposure to fluoride during the years of tooth dev...
6 comments
Read more

Are Chocolates Good For Your Teeth??

    Are Chocolates Good For Your Teeth?? We all are great fans of chocolates. After all who doesn't love chocolates!?  But are Chocolates good for our teeth? The answer is 'YES' and 'NO', depending upon which chocolate you eat. According to recent reseaches cocoa has compounds which are actually good for your teeth!! Cocoa beans specifically its husk is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, polyphenols and tannins. These antioxidants prevent accumulation of plaque on your teeth and also cavity formation and therefore the resulting toothache . Cavity occurs when the bacteria present in your mouth eat away the sugars upon the surface of teeth leaving behind residual acids which destroys the protective layer of your teeth. The antioxidants present in cocoa beans prevent this acid formation and thus the cavities. Recently, a compound called CBH has been found in cocoa which is thought to be even better than fluoride!! BUT, ARE ALL CHOCOLATES GOOD FOR YOUR T...
Post a Comment
Read more