I get asked this a lot. At the end of the day, it does mostly come down to personal preference, however there are certainly 3 key points that I look for.
3 key points:
- Fluoride
Toothpaste needs to contain fluoride. Fluoride is a trace element that occurs naturally in our soil and water. It is responsible for mineralizing our teeth (and bones) and protects against decay. Most of the major supermarket brands (Colgate, Macleans, Oral B) have appropriate levels of fluoride in their toothpastes, but more commonly now there is an increase of ‘natural’ based toothpastes popping up (eg Redseal, Ecostore, Grin) that do not contain fluoride, and often consumers will not even be aware of this.
- Teeth Whitening
The second thing I look for in a toothpaste is one that does not promote whitening (with one exception). Many whitening toothpastes typically contain abrasives like hydrated silica, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium carbonate to polish and remove surface stains caused by tobacco, and certain foods and drinks. These abrasives work by mechanically scraping stains off the teeth, hence the “whitened” result. These products may benefit you if you have surface staining but will not actually change the shade of your teeth. Due to the abrasive nature of these products, they are not designed for long term use. There is however one exception. The Colgate Optic White range contains hydrogen peroxide, which is the only ingredient proven to whiten and change the colour of teeth. If you are wanting a whitening toothpaste, my go to is the Colgate Optic White Renewal toothpaste, containing 3% hydrogen peroxide.
If you would like to know more about teeth whitening products, read our blog here.
- Sensitivity
Thirdly, if you have sensitive teeth do invest in the Sensodyne or Colgate Sensitive range of toothpastes. These really do work and make a huge difference for those suffering from sensitive teeth. Along with good levels of fluoride and low abrasive indexes, these toothpastes also have added ingredients that help specifically with sensitivity.
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