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Toothpaste is the most common oral hygiene product, but what are the best and worst toothpaste ingredients? 

It is in everyone’s bathroom and is the first thing most people use in the morning to freshen up. 

Ingredients In Toothpaste

The ingredients in your toothpaste depend on which brand you selected and the primary function you expect from your particular tube. Do you want whiter teeth? Or did you buy an antibacterial version? 

This will determine some of the ingredients. However, all toothpaste has base ingredients; the rest are customised depending on the clean you are after. 

There are metrics involved in getting a toothpaste formula approved. The base formulas, therefore, have similarities like fluoride and potassium nitrate.

Fluoride

The most common ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride.

Flouride is a mineral found in bones and teeth. It is used to clean your teeth and strengthen the enamel. It also prevents cavities and brittle teeth. If you have ever seen a toothpaste advert, you have probably heard of fluoride and its benefits. We even have fluoride in our tap water as a cleaning agent – that is how much faith we have in its properties.

Fluoride is a natural mineral and is found throughout the earth’s crust. It is widely distributed in nature.

Fluoride is also added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay. In the 1930s, a group of researchers found that people who grew up drinking naturally fluoridated water were two-thirds less likely to develop cavities than those living in areas without fluoridated water. 

More studies have repeatedly shown that tooth decay decreases when fluoride is added to a community’s water supply. 

Sodium fluoride makes the teeth less sensitive, stronger and more resistant to the decay caused by acid and bacteria in our food. Potassium nitrate calms the nerves in your mouth.

Potassium Nitrate

Another important ingredient in toothpaste is potassium nitrate, which desensitises the teeth. Potassium Nitrate is found in toothpaste and mouthwash aimed at helping with ‘sensitive teeth.’

WebMD says that potassium nitrate can prevent cavities and reduce pain. Sensitive teeth, also known as dentinal hypersensitivity, is a condition in which people feel pain when eating. Different temperatures and food textures can trigger this pain. 

Peroxide

Whitening toothpaste may include abrasives to polish the teeth gently. They also have additives like sodium tripolyphosphate, which break down and dissolve stains. Some even contain peroxide, a whitening agent.

Flavouring

Toothpaste always includes flavouring agents so that they are pleasant to use. Humans like a hint of sweetness. If you think of toothpaste you most likely think of a minty fresh flavour and scent, explains Mouth Healthy. Don’t worry, toothpaste flavours do not contain sugar, which would be counterintuitive and promote tooth decay. The texture is also important in making toothpaste pleasant to use.

Thickening agents also referred to as binders such as Carboxymethyl cellulose sodium, work to stabilise the toothpaste formula and give it that creamy texture.

Food Colourants

Many kinds of toothpaste use food-grade colourants. We are all used to that patent red, blue and green. The colours are also sometimes used to indicate which part of the gel is used for which particular purpose. The red stripe can be a specific formula that fights decay, while the blue stripe freshens breath.

Cleaning Detergent

Most importantly, there is detergent in every toothpaste. The primary purpose of all toothpaste is to clean the mouth and eliminate germs. Most, although not all, toothpaste contains sodium lauryl sulphate or related surfactants (detergents).

It is a foaming agent, which enables the uniform distribution of toothpaste, improving its cleansing power.

Triclosan In Toothpaste: Good or Bad?

Some toothpaste manufacturers have recently removed triclosan, an antibacterial compound, from their formulas. 

What is Triclosan?

Triclosan was developed in the 1960s.

It is an antibacterial and antifungal agent in many products, like toothpaste, soaps, and detergents, as well as toys and surgical cleaning treatments.

Triclosan’s efficacy, and whether the good outweighs the bad is still under investigation as to whether or not it works as an antimicrobial agent and if there is a risk of antimicrobial resistance. Triclosan could also play a role in disrupted hormonal development in organisms and environmental health.

According to QZ.com, triclosan effectively kills bacteria, but has been linked to causing gut inflammation and endocrine disruption in animal studies. 

Triclosan and its many uses have been linked to abnormal endocrine system/thyroid hormone signalling and the weakening of the immune system, amongst other ailments. 

Mighty Nest reports that young children exposed to antibacterial products early are more likely to develop allergies, asthma and eczema.

Before buying a new type of toothpaste, or even using toothpaste alternatives – speak to your dentist and find out what is the best for you and your family’s particular needs. 

Even though some products may have questionable side effects, all toothpaste in commercial markets must pass vigorous health and safety testing. The chances of using one that harms you or your family are little to none. As long as you are using a reputable brand, you should be absolutely fine and have healthy, strong pearly whites.