Everything you wanted to know about toothpaste but were too afraid to ask
Your local grocery store has a sickening amount of options, and tbh your dentist likely hasn't educated you about what the differences are.
Your local grocery store has a sickening amount of options, and tbh your dentist likely hasn't educated you about what the differences are.
The most important aspect of a toothpaste is abrasivity. We're not talking about your drunk uncle being abrasive at thanksgiving. This is about how rough/gritty the toothpaste is because it WILL wear away precious enamel. RDA (relative dentin abrasivity) is the measure we use.
This chart ranks popular brands by abrasivity. The higher the number, the more irreversible damage it's doing to your teeth. You want to stay in the blue zone if possible. As a general rule if you can stay below 100 you're doing pretty good. I like to stay even lower than that.
Besides abrasivity, most of what makes a toothpaste different are a few ingredients:
Fluoride vs Fluoride-Free
Potassium Nitrate (anti-sensitivty)
SLS vs SLS-free
Hydroxyapatite (most don't have this)
Whitening (total BS)
Pretty much anything beyond this is marketing nonsense
Fluoride vs Fluoride-Free
Potassium Nitrate (anti-sensitivty)
SLS vs SLS-free
Hydroxyapatite (most don't have this)
Whitening (total BS)
Pretty much anything beyond this is marketing nonsense
If you are low risk for cavities I recommend a toothpaste that's fluoride free, without SLS (this ingredient tends to irritate the soft tissue), and with hydroxyapatite which is a safer remineralizing agent than fluoride. I use CariFree but there are a few other good brands
Whitening toothpastes are bullshit. Peroxide-based whitening agents are effective, but need to be applied to the teeth for significant amount of time, and you're only brushing your teeth for 2 minutes. Most whitening toothpastes "whiten" by being abrasive (AKA Charcoal). AVOID
Take any kind of marketing tactics with a grain of salt:
DETOXIFY (no lol)
MAX FRESH (wut)
ANTICAVITY (this just means fluoride)
TARTAR CONTROL (cmon)
etc..
(btw I have a thread on fluoride if you want to know more, and ask @bowtiedfawn about our whitening substack article)
DETOXIFY (no lol)
MAX FRESH (wut)
ANTICAVITY (this just means fluoride)
TARTAR CONTROL (cmon)
etc..
(btw I have a thread on fluoride if you want to know more, and ask @bowtiedfawn about our whitening substack article)
TLDR:
A good toothpaste is low abrasivity, has a remineralizing agent and no strong detergents that "disinfect".
Disinfectants are for your tile floors, not your mouth. The mouth has a delicate microbiome that needs to be nurtured and not obliterated.
A good toothpaste is low abrasivity, has a remineralizing agent and no strong detergents that "disinfect".
Disinfectants are for your tile floors, not your mouth. The mouth has a delicate microbiome that needs to be nurtured and not obliterated.
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