Toothpaste: What You Should Know

Brushing your teeth is a very important task, but choosing the right toothpaste is just as important. Most people walk through the drug store and just pick whichever toothpaste looks best. However, more care should be put into which toothpaste you decide to buy because the health of your teeth depend on it.

Check the Fluoride Levels

When you are looking at the ingredients of your toothpaste you will notice that fluoride appears a number of times in varying ways. This isn’t a bad thing, but some forms of fluoride work better with others when combined with the right ingredients. However, the real problem is understanding how much fluoride is in each brand of toothpaste, which can be a bit difficult when you have compounds such as sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride. Nowadays all toothpastes should tell you how many “parts per million” or ppm of fluoride they contain. In general, the higher the amount of fluoride the better. So as a helpful tip, the next time you are shopping you should be looking for toothpaste that contains about 1450ppm of fluoride or more.

Whitening Toothpastes and other Features

When it comes to picking toothpaste, it really comes down to personal preference. Many people like picking a toothpaste that features teeth whitening. However, be sure to talk to your dentist before deciding which whitening toothpaste to get. Some whitening toothpastes can be abrasive and tough on your teeth, doing more than harm than good. Everybody has different teeth and varying sensitivity, just because one toothpaste works well for someone else, doesn’t mean it will work for you. If you want your teeth whitened, then talk to your dentist about some professional whitening techniques that you could do or ask what kinds of whitening toothpastes they think works best.

Toothpaste Can be Harmful

Most toothpastes contain ingredients that have been known to cause problems for some individuals. Some ingredients can cause some sensitivity reactions, depending on the person and their teeth. There are also some chemicals in toothpaste, such as sodium lauryl sulphate, that have been shown to cause allergic reactions in people, such as soreness in your mouth or lips. These types of reactions are extremely rare but can happen. If you ever experience any kind of allergic reaction and you believe it might be a result of the toothpaste you are using, be sure to inform your dentist and have them recommend a different kind of toothpaste.

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