Dental Currents December 2009

Toothpaste, Friend or Foe

The toothpaste manufacturers spend a lot of money to convince us that toothpaste
is the key to clean, white, non-sensitive teeth that are resistant to dental decay. This
is accomplished through various levels of abrasives and fluoride added to the
toothpaste. Let’s have a closer look at what is really happening.

Toothpaste, even the less abrasive ones, will abrade or wear teeth. This will make
teeth look smoother and polished rather than having a natural, glistening surface
with contours. The enamel of teeth makes them look whiter. Wearing or abrading
the enamel surface eventually makes it thinner. The yellower dentin layer of the
tooth starts to show through and the tooth begins to look darker in the person who
was most conscientious in abrading the surface to make them whiter.

There’s more. If the abrasive toothpaste is combined with a stiffer toothbrush which
recedes the gums, the softer root surface will wear even faster. This can be seen as
notches or grooves at the neck of the tooth, along the gumline. The recession is due
to the toothbrush, the notching or abrasion is due to the toothpaste.

Sensitive teeth area a common problem. Toothpaste is at the top of the list when it
comes to causing sensitive teeth. So what is most often recommended – more
toothpaste!! Yes, there are many brands and styles of toothpastes for sensitive teeth.
In actual fact, the sensitivity is caused by opening the little tubules in the dentin or
root surface of the tooth. The abrasive action of toothpaste continually wears these
areas and keeps the tubules open. The bottom line is that if you have sensitive teeth,
never use toothpaste, possibly for the rest of your life. This is a challenge for a
generation that has been brain washed into thinking toothpaste is necessary for
clean teeth.
Summary – dry brush to clean your teeth. No toothpaste equals no abrasive wear. If
you must use toothpaste for taste, use it quickly and do not scrub it on the tooth
surface any more than you feel you must. Less is best.

Proceed to the next issue

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