What is the best toothpaste? A question that I get asked a lot by my patients “What toothpaste would you recommend?”
With over 50 brands of different toothpaste on supermarket shelves, choosing the right toothpaste can be a difficult decision. In this article, I am going to break down the different categories of toothpaste that are available on the market, and which ones could benefit you the most.
Sensitive Toothpaste
If you are someone who suffers from sensitive teeth when drinking cold water or biting into ice-cream it can be very painful and dissatisfying. Using a sensitive toothpaste can help provide some relief over time. The most important point to remember for sensitive toothpaste is that you must use it regularly on a twice-daily basis for you to start seeing the effects. Persistence is key!
Recommendation: Sensodyne Rapid Relief
Bleeding Gums/Smokers Toothpaste
If you’ve been told by your dentist that you have gum disease, using Corsodyl toothpaste may be beneficial to you. Gum disease can be made even worse if you are a smoker, as smoking reduces your body’s ability to fight off infection, making it harder to combat gums disease. Corsodyl contains particles of sodium bicarbonate which help to break apart the layer of plaque at the gum margin, leading to more effective toothbrushing and helps to stop and prevent bleeding gums.
The taste of Corsodyl is very unique and gritty, not the usual minty taste that you’d expect so it can take some time getting used to the taste!
Recommendation: Corsodyl Ultra Clean
Whitening Toothpaste
There are lots of foods and drinks that we consume on a daily basis that can cause our teeth to become stained and discoloured over time. These include things such as tea, coffee, red wine and smoking. The most effective way to prevent further staining is to stop consuming these things. Using a whitening toothpaste can remove some superficial staining on the surface of your teeth, making them appear whiter.
If you’re considering using a whitening toothpaste, you should be aware of some of the side effects. With repeated use, the abrasive nature of the baking soda can cause wearing down of the outer layer of your tooth surface which is the enamel. As a result of this, you may start experiencing sensitive teeth.
Finally, be wary of any toothpaste that contains charcoal as this is much more abrasive than baking soda and can cause excessive wear of the enamel on your teeth.
Recommendation: Arm & Hammer Advance White Extreme
High Fluoride Toothpaste
Your dentist may have already prescribed you a high fluoride-containing toothpaste called Duraphat, in which case this is the toothpaste of choice for you!
Duraphat is special as it contains a higher concentration of Fluoride than most toothpaste. Fluoride is essential in preventing tooth decay and helping counter the effects of bacteria in the mouth.
Recommendation: Colgate: Duraphat 2800/5000
Complete Toothpaste
If the above categories do not apply to you, then you should look to use a complete toothpaste which provides all-round protection for your teeth. I have picked two kinds of toothpaste below which are both very effective.
Recommendation: Oral-B Pro-Expert
Recommendation: Colgate® Maximum Cavity Protection
Children’s Toothpaste
For children, it is important to ensure that they start brushing their teeth as soon as they get their first tooth. Brushing must be supervised up until the age of 6, to ensure that brushing is taking place! Ensure that you are only using a small pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
For children aged 0-3, a children’s toothpaste can be used.
Over the age of 3, regular adults toothpaste such as the ones posted above (complete toothpaste) can and should be used.
Recommendation: Aquafresh Milk Teeth
Final Points:
- Ensure you are brushing twice a day before bed is the most important time to brush
- Ensure your toothpaste contains 1350-1500ppm of fluoride to give your teeth the best protection
- After brushing spit out, but don’t rinse your mouth out with water as you want to keep the toothpaste in contact with your teeth to help give them the most protection
- When using mouthwash, use it at another time to brushing i.e. after lunch. This is to ensure you’re not diluting the effects of the toothpaste straight after.