One of the most important purchases of the month should be toothpaste. People spend hours in the dentist’s chair for check-ups and addressing cavities, but what they do at home is a direct result of how much work they need done. If you want to cut down on the amount of time you have to spend with your dentist, think about the quality of toothpaste you use.
If you go to a drugstore counter, you are going to see many different toothpaste options. Some promise a “whiter smile” and some promise a “noted decline in cavities”. There are also “tartar protection” and “breath-enhancing” properties available on the shelves.
What Toothpaste To Choose
So which one should you use? With the amount of dizzying options, having a good check-list to tell you what you really need in toothpaste is useful. Here are some of the most helpful tips for choosing a good toothpaste:
• Tartar control. Tartar is what starts to buildup and can eventually create cavities. Having a good twice-daily remedy can seriously lower problems with teeth. If you love lollies or just ingest a lot of sugar, this is critical to your daily oral habit. The good thing about addressing tartar daily is that it can prevent build up over time and eventually turns into plaque. Plaque is what your dentist has to literally scrape off of your teeth. By cutting down on plaque, you’re cutting down on the time he or she has to scrape at your mouth. Who wouldn’t want to actively eliminate time spent enduring the tooth scraping process?
• Sensitive toothpaste. If you feel any discomfort drinking very hot or very cold beverages, sensitive toothpaste may be the solution. This is great for sensitive mouths. Normally, this toothpaste is formulated with a lower amount of abrasives to minimize discomfort. In addition, they have potassium nitrate or strontium chloride as additives. Both of these can inhibit the passageways of the nerve endings in the mouth. By reducing sensitivity, the overall tooth brushing experience can be improved.
• Avoiding fluoride. Although avoiding fluoride is advertised everywhere, the reality is that it is an essential element needed in controlled, and small, amounts. With toothpaste, you use it topically which means that it won’t absorb. Plus, the amount of time you use toothpaste is short so any absorption would take much longer time. Foods in your diet consistently demineralize the enamel of your teeth. It is crucial to replace it for protection. Fluoride is incorporated into the structure of your tooth and helps enamel to resist acids foods create.
• Whitening toothpastes. Toothpastes also promise to whiten your teeth. While this may seem attractive (who doesn’t want a beautiful white smile?), is it not necessarily the healthiest option. All whitening toothpastes do is introduce added abrasives to your brushing. Over time they can thin out the protective enamel and cause more problems than solutions.
When looking for a toothpaste, be sure to understand the options available and whether or not they truly are beneficial. Having a good checklist when you go to purchase toothpaste can help you to make the right decisions at the grocery store!