The Importance of Toothpaste and Its Effects on Dental Health

Figurine Sophia Twigt

Is toothpaste really that important or is it mainly a matter of brushing well?

Brushing without toothpaste works just as well as brushing with news websites a few years ago. It was a misinterpretation of his results research into the effect of toothpaste, recalls dentist and clinical epidemiologist Cees Valkenburg. ‘If you look at the amount of plaque after brushing once, it doesn’t matter whether someone used toothpaste or not. The teeth are equally clean. If you brush longer without toothpaste, there is a difference. In addition, teeth discolor and people complain about a less fresh feeling in their mouth.’

‘Compare it with the attack in a teapot’, adds Cor van Loveren. He is professor of dentistry at Acta, the Academic Center for Dentistry in Amsterdam. ‘You really need a remedy to clean it properly.’

Most toothpaste contains fluoride. What is its operation?

The advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Cavities are caused by a chemical reaction in the mouth. If you eat or drink something, the bacteria in your mouth convert the sugars into acid, which can affect the tooth,’ says Van Loveren. ‘The tooth material consists of calcium phosphate, a kind of crystal, and if fluoride is added, it becomes less soluble.’ It wasn’t until the 1970s that manufacturers massively added fluoride to toothpaste. Since then, dental health has improved tremendously.

Does whitening make your teeth whiter or is it useful marketing?

Although the result is often not as spectacular as people hope, research shows that there is a difference in color after six weeks of using whitening toothpaste. So as a consumer you have to be a little patient.

Contrary to what one might think, there is no bleaching. ‘The tube contains microparticles, also known as polishing substances, which remove the yellowish deposits from foods’, says Cor van Loveren. Some whitening toothpaste contains blue covarine. These are blue granules, which are also found in washing powder, that put a bluish layer over your teeth, making them appear whiter.

Over by author

Anna van den Breemer writes for de Volkskrant about big and small life questions. She has published several books, including All parents clumsy about.

How is toddler toothpaste different from adult toothpaste?

Toddler toothpaste contains less fluoride, namely an average of 500 parts of fluoride per million parts of toothpaste (ppm). In adult toothpaste, this is between 1,000 and 1,500 ppm. A child ingests very little fluoride per brushing session. The National Poison Information Center, NVIC, in Utrecht applies the following rule: using 5 milligrams of fluoride per kilogram of body weight can lead to poisoning. ‘The symptoms are abdominal pain and nausea,’ says Van Loveren. A child weighing 15 kilos should then consume 75 milligrams, or about one whole tube for adults. Van Loveren: ‘As with many substances, it is dangerous in large quantities.’

Own brand or a tube of 7 euros: does it matter?

‘Anyone can make a basic toothpaste with fluoride. A private label will suffice’, says Cor van Loveren. If you buy a multifunctional toothpaste, for example with whitening or extra protective effect, he recommends a well-known brand. ‘A toothpaste like that is haute cuisine, you should have it made by a real chef.’ Cees Valkenburg adds: ‘The big brands have their own laboratories that conduct thorough research.’

What about ‘natural’ toothpaste?

‘The problem with many organic and fluoride-free toothpastes is that they contain a lot of ingredients that do nothing at all,’ says Cees Valkenburg. He is also not pleased with the black charcoal toothpaste, often promoted by influencers on social media. The active carbon would whiten teeth and increase the hardness of the enamel, but there is no scientific evidence for this. According to the dentist, people often think that the effect of toothpaste, just like medicines, is extensively clinically researched. “That’s not always the case.” In terms of legislation, toothpaste, because you spit it out, falls under ‘leave off’ cosmetics, just like shampoo, which you rinse out. Less strict rules apply to this than to ‘leave on’ cosmetics, such as creams.

2023-06-30 08:30:15
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