How to Choose the Right Toothpaste

If you want to prevent or heal gum disease, it’s essential to choose the right oral healthcare products. Using high quality toothpaste that addresses your specific dental needs is important because tooth brushing plays such an important role in your oral hygiene routine.

Toothpaste removes food particles, plaque, and stains. It also helps to eliminate the microorganisms that cause gum disease, dental plaque, and bad breath without destroying organisms that are important to your oral health. Toothpaste comes in paste, gel, or powder form and contains a combination of abrasives, humectants, detergents, flavorings, colorants, bindings, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.

Types of Toothpaste

There are many types of toothpaste on the market that cater to a variety of needs and preferences:

• Whitening toothpaste: Whitening toothpaste doesn’t actually whiten your teeth, but it does contain abrasives that remove tooth stains. You should avoid using whitening toothpaste that contains harsh abrasives, however, because it can strip your tooth enamel and lead to tooth sensitivity and gum recession.
• Sensitive toothpaste: Sensitive toothpaste desensitizes tooth nerves and creates a protective layer that prevents irritants from reaching them. Tooth sensitivity is often the result of root exposure caused by gum recession.
• Tartar control toothpaste: If the plaque on your teeth isn’t removed with good oral hygiene, it turns into tartar, a difficult-to-remove deposit that builds up on your teeth and under your gums, eventually causing gum disease. Tartar control toothpastes don’t remove tartar, but they do prevent it from accumulating.
• Gum disease toothpaste: Gum disease toothpaste is designed to control dental plaque and therefore helps prevent gum disease.
• Natural toothpaste: Natural toothpaste is free of harsh abrasives and artificial ingredients. However, keep in mind that some types of natural toothpaste don’t contain fluoride.

What to Look for in Toothpaste

Regardless of what type of toothpaste you purchase, be sure that it contains fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral that has dramatically reduced the incidence of tooth decay and cavity formation in the last 50 years. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, prevents cavities, and inhibits bacteria that cause dental plaque. Fluoride toothpaste is especially recommended for children and seniors. According to research, using fluoride toothpaste increases the concentration of fluoride in the teeth, even in areas where the water supply is fluoridated.

In addition, make sure that the toothpaste you use has been approved by the American Dental Association (ADA). Toothpaste that has received a seal of approval from the ADA has been objectively evaluated and tested by an independent body of scientific experts, so you can rest assured that it is safe and effective.

Get Help Selecting the Right Toothpaste for Your Needs

Are you still unsure of which brand or type of toothpaste to buy? If you’re in the Woodinville or Bothell area, contact periodontist Dr. Terry L. LaBell today and set up a limited and comprehensive periodontal evaluation. After thoroughly examining your teeth and gums, Woodinville periodontist Dr. Terry L. Labell will determine which type of toothpaste best suits your needs and give you specific oral healthcare recommendations.

Added on 01/10/2011

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