Toothpaste, a daily item that we can't leave every day. Speaking of its history, the earliest can be traced back to the "Book of Rites" - "the first song of the chicken, salty rinse", when people used a mixture made of vinegar, salt, etc. to brush their teeth.
Today's toothpaste, from dozens to hundreds, not only "worth" has high and low, whitening, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory... Their claimed features are even more varied.
Experts interviewed
Yin Wei, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Preventive Stomatology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University
Ge Jianping, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Endodontics, Affiliated Stomatology Hospital of Tongji University
Yin Xiaomin, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University
Toothpaste can make teeth whiter is an "illusion"
Our teeth are divided into three layers, from the outside to the inside, namely the enamel, dentin and pulp cavity. The color of the teeth is mainly determined by the transparency of the outermost layer of enamel.
The tooth enamel itself is milky white translucent, but the dentin under its enveloping is yellowish. Therefore, healthy tooth color is not pure white, and the use of whitening toothpaste will at most restore the original yellowish color of the teeth, and it is impossible to make the teeth white to shine.
The toothpaste that claims to be whitening on the market mainly adds some special friction agents that can "grind" off the temporary pigmentation on the surface of the tooth, but it is useless for the stubborn coloring caused by long-term smoking, drinking carbonated drinks, and the endogenous coloring caused by drug invasion of the inside of the tooth (such as tetracycline teeth, fluorosis, etc.).
Some people feel that their teeth have become significantly whiter after using whitening toothpaste, which is actually a "visual error". Most of the whitening toothpaste is blue, and yellow has a visual complementary effect, which makes the teeth briefly "white" after use, giving people the illusion of effectiveness.
There are also toothpastes that use mica particles to bring whitening illusions, or "whiten" teeth through colorants such as titanium dioxide (CI77891) and other edible pigments, which is not desirable.
Oral health cannot be maintained by toothpaste
The main function of toothpaste is to clean teeth, prevent dental caries and gingivitis, and maintain oral health can not rely on a tube of toothpaste alone, 6 common misunderstandings need to be avoided.
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Dental problems with functional toothpaste
If oral problems have occurred, you should first seek the help of a professional dentist for examination and diagnosis, and then choose the corresponding functional toothpaste according to the advice of a professional doctor.
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Expensive medicated toothpaste is better
Price is not an absolute measure of toothpaste. The main ingredients of toothpaste are abrasives, moisturizers, thickeners and foaming agents, etc., and the functional ingredients do not account for a high proportion of its quality.
As a toothbrushing aid, toothpaste has the basic function of cleaning the mouth, and the general commercially available toothpaste that has been strictly tested can meet the requirements. Whitening, anti-moth, desensitization, hemostasis and other effects are auxiliary and not enough to directly affect oral health.
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Dip your teeth in water before brushing to brush them clean
When brushing your teeth, the friction agent in the toothpaste is not "alone", but "side by side" with water. The water component it contains not only helps to condense friction particles, but also cushions the friction between friction particles and teeth. Therefore, dipping in water does not affect the cleaning function of toothpaste.
If you have to make a choice, there is a best of both worlds: rinse your mouth before brushing, and brush your teeth after your mouth is wet.
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Toothpaste can be used even after it has expired
Yin Wei, deputy chief physician of the Department of Stomatology of West China Hospital of Stomatology of Sichuan University, reminded that do not use toothpaste after it expires, the chemical components contained in it will deteriorate, and the efficacy degradation cannot play a role; It can also breed bacteria, creating a potential danger.
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Children should not use fluoride toothpaste
From the first baby tooth eruption, children should use children's fluoride toothpaste, but pay attention to the dosage.
Children under 3 years old, each time with the size of rice grains is sufficient; Children aged 3~6 years old can use the amount of soybeans.
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Adult toothpaste for children works well
Regardless of the effect of toothpaste, it is not recommended for children to use the adult version. Most of the adult toothpaste contains peppermint, essential oils and other irritating ingredients, children usually do not like this taste, and even feel very spicy, slowly repulsion to brush teeth.
Choose toothpaste according to your needs
When buying toothpaste, mainly depends on the quality of the friction agent, the general particles are more friendly to the teeth (aluminum hydroxide and dicalcium phosphate are better, followed by silica). You can have two kinds of toothpaste at home at the same time and change them in the morning and evening. The selection can vary from person to person and from symptom to symptom.
People with frequent tooth soreness
If you usually brush your teeth and feel sore teeth, or have sore teeth when drinking cold drinks, you can choose toothpaste for sensitive people:
(1) Contains "potassium salt" ingredients: such as potassium chloride, potassium nitrate, etc.;
(2) Stannous fluoride, strontium acetate, bioactive glass materials, etc.
Severe stains
If you want to make your teeth whiter, don't blindly "whiten", you can choose toothpaste containing "silicone" ingredients, which has a certain effect of removing stains on the surface of teeth. Generally, the higher the ranking of an ingredient on the formula list, the higher the content.
There are many dental calculus
Choose toothpaste that contains pyrophosphate to help prevent tartar.
People with no inflammation of the oral soft tissues
Regular toothpaste is sufficient, and medicated toothpaste is not recommended. Even if there is slight inflammation, you should not use medicated toothpaste as a substitute for oral treatment every day, and you can use it 2~3 times a week. If there are problems such as recurrent ulcers, bleeding, and bad breath, seek medical attention in time. ▲
Editor of this issue: Zhao Ziying