Speciality Toothpastes: Choosing the Right Toothpaste

Dr Alex Bratic (Dentist)
8 years ago

In my last Blog I spoke about the various types of toothpastes on the market & specialty pastes that I recommend. Now I would like to comment on three other types of pastes.

Types of Toothpastes

1. Desensitising toothpastes:

Many people suffer from sensitive teeth. The most common reason for this is gum recession, where the sensitive root surface of a tooth becomes exposed. This usually occurs from brushing too hard. Use of a soft bristled brush, a gentle technique along with a desensitising paste is usually all that is required to reduce sensitivity to a manageable level.

How Desensitising pastes work: The living tissue inside the tooth (the pulp) is what detects hot/cold sensations. The pulp tissue sends little “nerve endings” in microscopic tubules into the dentine & root surface. These nerve endings are what pick up hot/cold sensations.

Desensitising pastes work by either reducing the “excitability” of the pulp tissue so more intense stimuli is required to cause a reaction or by blocking the opening to these tubules so the nerve endings are not exposed to hot or cold sensations.

Sensodyne and Colgate Pro Relief are two of the many desensitising pastes available that I recommend.

Herbal toothpastes

Fluoride is the active ingredient in most toothpaste that helps protect against tooth decay. Herbal toothpaste does not contain fluoride. As such, Herbal toothpaste is not endorsed by the Australian Dental Association.

Anecdotally, I have witnessed a patient with no fillings or decay who swapped to a herbal toothpaste. The patient returned after a few years with three decayed teeth.

Whitening toothpaste

Tooth whitening is achieved by the use of a whitening agent, either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide & holding that product for a sufficient time frame in contact with the teeth.

The problem with whitening toothpastes is that they generally do not use a high enough concentration of the whitening agent. Furthermore the agent is not in contact with the teeth for a period of time long enough to give a desirable result.

We Help You Find the Right Toothpaste for Your Smile

I hope this information may answer a few questions about the wide variety of toothpastes out on the market. A good preventative dental home care routine is so important for the health of your teeth and I am always happy to provide any advice I can for my patients to achieve optimal dental health.

Contact your Beenleigh Dentist today!

Alex Bratic Dental Care is conveniently located on City Road at Beenleigh. We are close to transport and our onsite parking is free and very easy to access.

For all Health Fund Members our HICAPS facility enables payments to be processed at the time of the appointment, which means members, are only required to pay the difference between the charged fee & the Health Fund Rebate (gap fee).