Toothpaste - Dental Health

In picking the best toothpaste, there are many products in the market to choose from.  One factor that we recommend is to look for the ADA seal.  The American Dental Association approved toothpastes must contain fluoride. Fluoride has been proven to help prevent and slow down the cavities/caries process.  It is safe and well tested by the scientific community. Variations to the toothpaste may include sensitivity ingredients, anti-gingivitis properties, flavoring agents, malodorous or bad breath prevention.  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  states toothpastes are: “An abrasive-containing dosage form (gel, paste, or powder) for delivering an anticaries drug to the teeth.” An anticaries drug is defined as, “A drug that aids in the prevention and prophylactic(cleaning) treatment of dental cavities (decay, caries).” 

Active ingredients may include:

• Anticaries agents, aka fluoride,  includes variations as sodium monofluorophosphate, sodium fluoride, and stannous fluoride.  Fluoride remineralizes and prevents tooth decay.

• Antimicrobial agents include triclosan and stannous fluoride to fight gingivitis and calculus buildup known as tartar.

• Antihypersensitivity agents can be found as potassium salts, stannous fluoride, casein phosphopeptide, calcium sodium phosphosilicate, and amorphous calcium phosphate.Other ingredients that toothpastes typically contain include:

• Abrasive agents that include abrasives or enzymes act to physically remove stains from teeth. Calcium carbonate, hydrated aluminum oxides, dehydrated silica gels, magnesium carbonate, phosphate salts all remove stains physically.

• Peroxide, such as hydrogen and carbamide peroxides, help reduce intrinsic stains.

Call us today at 626-461-5659 to get more information on toothpaste selection.

Reference

The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America