Toothpaste - ingredients and effect

May 29

Toothpaste and brushing your teeth have become an integral part of our everyday lives. There is a wealth of different toothpastes on the market, which are manufactured for a wide variety of purposes.
Today we take a closer look at the ingredients of toothpaste and also take a look at the effect of the individual ingredients. The INCI designations (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredients) are in brackets after the German names, as they are usually also found on the toothpastes.

Toothpaste ingredients at a glance

fluoride

Hardly any toothpaste today is without fluoride. No wonder, after all, fluoride has a scientifically proven effect of hardening tooth enamel and making it more resistant to caries bacteria or sugar. Fluorides are often identified by terms such as:

• sodium fluoride
• sodium monofluorophosphate
• olaflur

surfactants

Surfactants are also referred to as washing-active substances or foaming agents. When you brush your teeth, they foam up and ensure, among other things, that the tooth-protecting substances are distributed everywhere. In addition, surfactants loosen the enamel a little more and thus ensure that the hardening fluorides can work better.

Surfactants include:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)
• Coco Betaine (Cocamidopropyl Betaine)

Cleaning body with a grinding effect

Cleaning bodies have an abrasive, i.e. a grinding effect. When you brush your teeth, these fine particles “scrub” plaque and bacteria off your teeth. Since the tooth enamel also has a very sensitive protective layer and is therefore not safe from abrasion, cleaning particles should be as gentle as possible. The RDA value indicates how high the grinding effect of individual substances is. As a rough guide, avoid toothpastes with an RDA value of more than 80. You should also pay attention to the following ingredients:

• Titanium Dioxide (Titanium Dioxide)
• Alumina (Alumina)

At OnlySmile, we recommend the following ingredients instead:

• Silica (Hydrated Silica, Silicon Dioxides)
• chalk (calcium carbonates)

Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory substances

These substances are particularly useful for healthy gums. They inhibit bacterial growth and thus have a preventive effect against gingivitis and tooth decay.

• Zinc compounds such as zinc chloride or zinc lactate (Zinc Chloride, Zinc Lactate)
• Tin Pyrophosphate (Stannous Pyrophosphate)
• Chlorhexidine (Chlorhexidine Digluconate, CHX)

Summary

The ingredients listed all have an effectiveness and are dentally effective. At this point, however, it should be said that the exact composition of the ingredients is usually less relevant than the cleaning technique. Get advice from your dentist.

Photo: © Onlysmile, wavebreakmedia - shutterstock.com
Author: Johann (blogguru.de)

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