Are you used to using the same toothpaste all the time, or do you change it frequently? As a representative of the former category, when Xiaobian was reminded a few days ago that "toothpaste needs to change the brand and style frequently to avoid drug resistance", the first reaction was... It seems to make a lot of sense! But in the spirit of striving for true knowledge, I still consulted the relevant experts, but I didn't know, it was wonderful to ask, it turned out that around toothpaste, there were so many truths that were not known to the public!
Figureworm creative
01
Is toothpaste resistant?
Is it necessary to replace it frequently?
At present, the commercially available toothpaste is mainly divided into two types: ordinary toothpaste and functional toothpaste [1]. The main function of ordinary toothpaste is cleaning, and its composition includes friction agents, cleansers and wetting agents. Among them, the friction agent accounts for 30-55%, its role is mainly with the help of the mechanical friction action of the toothbrush, the tooth enamel is polished, removing the plaque and tartar attached to the surface of the teeth, making the mouth clean and refreshing, but also can play a certain role in whitening. Since it does not contain drugs, there is no resistance problem with regular toothpaste.
Efficacy toothpaste is based on the addition of certain functional ingredients to ordinary toothpaste, such as drugs or chemical preparations with anti-caries, whitening, bacteriostatic and anti-inflammatory effects. Compared with ordinary toothpastes, they have some special effects, but long-term use of the same type of toothpaste may also lead to some oral problems, such as long-term use of toothpaste with peroxide-assisted whitening ingredients is easy to cause enamel damage, exposing dentin tubules and causing tooth sensitivity [2].
Therefore, there is no drug resistance problem in the use of ordinary toothpaste, and you can specialize in it; but the use of functional toothpaste should pay attention to regular replacement to prevent excessive intake of added ingredients and cause oral problems, so it may as well be wet with rain and dew.
02
The popular "fresh breath" toothpaste on the market
Can you solve the problem of tone?
Most of what we call "breath" is oral bad breath, including untreated caries, poor restorations, pulp necrosis or purulent pulpitis, and odors from plaque and bacterial fermentation. In addition, non-oral factors such as constipation, poor liver function, kidney disease, and protein indigestion can also lead to bad breath.
At present, the popular "fresh breath" toothpaste on the market mainly inhibits bad breath by removing the pathogenic microorganisms that produce bad breath and the toxins it produces and the odor compound gas in the mouth, so as to achieve the effect of fresh breath, which is a "symptom". To completely solve the problem of tone, it is still necessary to first figure out whether the main cause of "odor" is oral or non-oral, and then treat the specific cause, so as to truly "cure the root cause".
03
Does whitening toothpaste really whiten teeth?
There are three main principles of whitening toothpaste to make teeth look white: one is to remove the color stains attached to the surface by physical friction with the surface of the teeth contained in the toothpaste; the second is to add chemical bleaching agents such as peroxides, etc., to oxidize the stains on the surface of the teeth to achieve the effect of whitening; the third is to adjust the visual effect, such as by adding blue pigment to make it temporarily attach to the surface of the teeth, so that the teeth look whiter.
Obviously, only the first two really do the whitening homework on the teeth, but this whitening effect is not very thorough, as long as the toothpaste is stopped, the teeth will return to their original color. Article 77 of the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics, which came into effect on January 1, 2021, clearly stipulates that toothpaste is an ordinary cosmetics, and after efficacy evaluation, it can only be claimed that toothpaste has the effect of preventing caries, inhibiting plaque, anti-dentin sensitivity, and alleviating gum problems, and cannot promote the whitening effect [3]. Therefore, hoping that whitening toothpaste can help whiten teeth will surely disappoint, and this way of propaganda can only be called "pulling".
04
Why do many toothpastes contain fluoride?
Fluoride toothpaste is based on the addition of an appropriate amount of fluoride on the basis of ordinary toothpaste, on the one hand, fluoride ions can increase the integrity of enamel crystals, on the other hand, by replacing fluoride ions into the hydroxyapatite crystals of enamel, it can form a fluorinated apatite that is difficult to dissolve in acids, thereby enhancing the anti-caries ability of teeth. For ordinary adults, it is still recommended to use fluoride toothpaste.
But excessive fluoride intake also has side effects. For people living in high-fluoride areas, local drinking water and food itself will carry more fluoride, and after entering the human body through diet, it can already meet the needs of anti-caries, so there is no need to use fluoride toothpaste. In addition, the use of fluoride toothpaste in children is easy to cause fluorosis, so we generally do not recommend fluoride toothpaste for children under 3 years old.
05
How old is my baby to brush with toothpaste?
Brushing teeth with toothpaste can be effective in preventing caries in children, but it is recommended to clean the mouth with a gauze or finger toothbrush before the teeth are full to avoid damage or bleeding from the sensitive gums of young children. Wait until your child's teeth are basically full, then use toothpaste and a toothbrush to help them brush their teeth.
In addition, children's tooth enamel hardness is relatively small, easy to be damaged by the chemicals in the toothpaste, while the toothpaste contains a certain amount of preservatives, will be due to the imperfect swallowing function of young children and more or less eat when brushing teeth. Therefore, it is recommended to use a children's toothpaste for children, and it is best to choose a non-fluoride or low-fluoride toothpaste to avoid fluorosis. If you only swallow a small amount of toothpaste occasionally, it has little impact on your health, so don't worry too much.
06
How much toothpaste should I squeeze every time I brush my teeth?
The role of toothpaste is mainly to increase the friction between the toothbrush and the teeth, thereby strengthening the cleaning ability. For the average person, a toothpaste the size of a pea (about 5 mm in diameter) is enough to help clean the surface of a tooth. Moreover, too much toothpaste leads to foaming too quickly, making people mistakenly think that the bacteria where the foam passes are invisible, and will unconsciously shorten the brushing time, but affect the brushing effect. The advertisement often squeezes out a long strip, just to show the display effect of the toothpaste texture more fully, and everyone usually has to control their hands when brushing their teeth, so as not to waste and not please.
Resources:
LIU Ting. Clinical efficacy of two kinds of whitening toothpaste[D].Dalian Medical University, 2016.
WANG Peng. Anti-inflammatory toothpaste should be changed frequently[J].Family Science and Technology, 2007(06):30.
[3] Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics, Decree No. 727
Author | Zhiqin Yuan is an associate professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Audit | Bin Xiong is an associate professor at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University
This article is produced by the "Scientific Rumor Dispelling Platform" (ID: Science_Facts), please indicate the source when reprinting.
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