The Ultimate Toothpaste Guide

The Ultimate Toothpaste Guide

Toothpastes are one of the most over marketed products on earth! Did you know that Colgate alone has over 32 brands available? It is a multibillion dollar market so everyone wants a piece of the pie.  At NYC Smile Spa, we will let you in a dirty little secret.  With rare exceptions, as long as your toothpaste has fluoride in it, it doesn’t matter what brand you use and what they claim its benefits are!!!  The removal of plaque comes almost exclusively from the mechanical movement of the brush bristles NOT from the paste. Most of the ingredients are inactive ingredients.

For those of you whom are paranoid about fluoride, it is an essential element needed in small amounts in the human diet!! But the use of it in toothpaste is strictly topical, you don’t absorb this systemically. There is a constant demineralization of the enamel on your teeth from the acids in your diet. The minerals (calcium and phosphate) in your saliva then remineralize these areas if the amount of acids are not overwhelming.  Fluoride gets incorporated into the tooth structure as a mineral that actually makes the enamel MORE acid resistant than the natural enamel structure. That’s why it’s been such an important public health measure since the 1950’s and has significantly decreased the incidence of decay.

Whitening toothpastes should be avoided because they simply have extra abrasives added to remove surface stains from food and drink. These abrasives actually can thin out your protective enamel layer. If you have sensitive teeth, then any toothpaste that says “for sensitive teeth” has the same extra ingredient that does in fact help. Sensodyne is the classic one and they have 3-4 different brands but they ALL work the same. I DO like any toothpaste that has baking soda in it which is a good neutralizer for acids and also healthy for your gums. (Ex. Arm and Hammer-peroxicare has both baking soda and peroxide, which is antibacterial)

So the bottom line is just use any toothpaste with fluoride that you like and make sure to floss and have regular checkups!

For more information, you can contact Dr. Michael Krochak at

drk@nycsmilespa.com

NYC Smile Spa

30 E. 60th St., Rm 1201

New York, NY 10022

(212) 838-2900

Relax and smile!