How to choose a toothpaste

How nice to see a man with strong, beautiful and snow-white teeth. When we see a beaming smile, we often enviously think that a person has good heredity and such teeth are a gift of nature. However, few people think that beautiful, well-groomed and white teeth are the result of regular care, brushing, whitening, and timely visits to the doctor. If you also want to have healthy teeth, you first need to more carefully approach the choice of toothpaste. After all, we use this hygiene product twice a day. The health and appearance of the teeth depend on the quality of the toothpaste. Today we’ll talk about what functions toothpaste should perform, we’ll deal with the varieties of this product, and also get acquainted with the practical recommendations of dentists on choosing toothpaste for adults and children.

What quality toothpaste is capable of

Toothpaste is an integral part of the life of a modern person. But what functions should it perform?

1. The very first is purification. Even a simple paste should remove food debris from the surface of the teeth and interdental space. Higher quality pastes can wipe yellow plaque from the surface of the teeth.
2. A good paste not only cleans, but also strengthens tooth enamel, restoring its damaged areas. Tooth enamel, mainly consists of fluoride and calcium, so these substances must certainly be part of a good toothpaste for adults.
3. Toothpaste should refresh your breath. This is achieved due to two components - antiseptic, which kills all pathogenic microbes and refreshing on the basis of mint components. A good toothpaste can eliminate bad breath.
4. Some toothpastes have a narrower focus. Some are designed to combat tooth decay, others soothe sore gums, etc.

These are the basic conditions that correspond to the functionality of a good toothpaste. Let's talk in more detail about the varieties of this product.

Types of Toothpastes

In general, all toothpastes are divided into two large groups - hygienic and therapeutic. The first ones are aimed at cleansing the surface of the teeth, they can be used daily, as a rule, they are absolutely harmless. However, such pastes are recommended for absolutely healthy teeth. Dentists admit that there are practically no such people, so such hygiene products are deprived of demand. Medical pastes have a narrower focus, each of them performs its specific functions. You can choose the right product yourself or after consulting a dentist.

1. Anti-cariosis. This is a variety of pastes that are represented on the market by a large segment. Such pastes may contain calcium or fluorine. They are aimed at the active restoration of protective tooth enamel, due to the destruction of which tooth decay begins. However, dentists warn that fluoride pastes can only be brushed for preventive purposes to protect the enamel from tooth decay. If caries already exists, such a product can hide tooth decay, which is fraught with even greater development of the carious cavity.
2. Anti-inflammatory. This group of toothpastes contains extracts of various plants - sage, mint, green tea, chamomile, St. John's wort, conifers. This product should be used in patients with painful, inflamed, and bleeding gums. Such pastes, as a rule, do not have a mint component, since it has an irritating effect.
3. Whitening. Such pastes should be used with extreme caution. As a rule, whitening is achieved through the use of abrasive particles that scratch and damage tooth enamel. Such compositions seem to remove the upper layer of enamel, exposing its snow-white structure. However, the effect does not last long - the teeth become more sensitive to the pigment of coffee, tea. Teeth become vulnerable, sore from cold and hot, can turn gray. In order not to spoil your teeth, bleaching pastes should be used strictly according to the rules - no more than once a week, using a soft brush, etc.
4. Pastes for sensitive teeth. If the tooth enamel is partially destroyed, the dentinal tubules are exposed on the surface of the teeth. Due to this, a person feels a sharp pain in the tooth when consuming sweet, sour, salty, hot or cold. To close these tubules, toothpastes with increased sensitivity are used. They do not have abrasive particles, due to which the cleaning becomes painless and comfortable.

Among toothpastes there are also products with biologically active additives and enzymes. However, their use requires certain medical indications, they are prescribed only by a doctor. In other cases, you need to choose a paste yourself.

How to choose a toothpaste

Once again, the pasta ended, and you decided to buy something new? How to choose a paste so that it is as useful as possible? Let's try to figure everything out in order.

1. Dentists recommend changing toothpastes, do not constantly brush your teeth with the same brand. The fact is that the teeth get used to the same composition and stop responding to it. A constant change of therapeutic pastes helps to influence different groups of dental problems.
2. At the end of the tube of toothpaste there is a colored strip, which also has its own information content. A black bar indicates that all the ingredients of the paste are chemically removed, such paste is not suitable for daily use, too aggressive. Such pastes are only used to treat certain problems. The blue bar indicates that the artificial ingredients in the composition of the paste are about 80%. The paste can be used for daily cleaning, but it is better to combine with other, less aggressive compounds. A red strip on the tube indicates a gentle composition that can be used in daily mode for both adults and children. There is also a green strip, which indicates a completely natural composition of the product. However, often such a paste is not able to thoroughly brush your teeth, it is not suitable for regular use.
3. Be sure to take a look at the composition of the toothpaste. It may contain the following components. Formaldehyde is an antibacterial and antimicrobial substance that disinfects the surface of the teeth from various microorganisms. A high concentration of formaldehyde in the product is unacceptable, this can lead to poisoning of the internal organs. Detergents provide high-quality cleaning of teeth and the formation of foam, without which cleaning would not be so comfortable. In order for the paste to keep its shape and not spread, seaweed is added to it, which are absolutely harmless. Freshness of breath is acquired due to peppermint oil. But menthol and saccharin make the paste tasty and sweet, relieve from an unpleasant soapy taste. Glycerin glucose is added so that the paste in the tube does not dry. Chalk is considered an abrasive, it is necessary for high-quality cleaning of the surface of the teeth. Some pastes have paraffin, which gives the teeth a pleasant gloss after brushing. All of these ingredients are safe in small quantities. Slightly swallowing the paste is not dangerous, but a large ingestion of all of the above substances can end in unpleasant consequences. Therefore, you can not eat toothpaste in any case.
4. Each paste has an RDA abrasion level. This is the size and solubility of solids in the paste. Small abrasives are added to the toothpaste for sensitive teeth, which quickly dissolve. Their index is usually not more than 50. Whitening pastes have the effect of sandpaper, the index of their particles can exceed 200 units.
5. If there are parabens in the composition, it is better to refuse such a paste, especially for allergy sufferers. An allergic reaction to methiparaben is often observed.
6. To achieve maximum effect without destroying tooth enamel, toothpastes can be combined with each other. For example, in the morning, brush your teeth with anti-cariogenic compounds, and in the evening anti-inflammatory.

These are simple rules that you need to familiarize yourself with before going to a store or pharmacy for a tube of new toothpaste. The choice becomes more responsible if it is a paste for the child.

How to choose toothpaste for a child

The child needs to brush his teeth even before the year when the baby will have 3-4 milk teeth. First, you need to do this with a piece of gauze or a silicone brush that is worn on mom’s finger. Such a brush will help not only to clean the teeth, but also gently scratch the gums during teething. No toothpastes are needed. The first toothpaste should appear when the baby grows chewing teeth. Usually, brushing your teeth with toothpaste begins closer to two years. However, until this time, cleaning should also be regular, albeit without the use of paste.

Choosing a paste for a child should be extremely responsible. Firstly, the paste should not contain aggressive components, because babies very often swallow the paste, instead of rinsing it. Secondly, children's paste should not contain fluoride (up to three years) - it is destructive for delicate milk teeth. Be sure to pay attention to the inscription on the tube - it usually indicates the age at which you can use this product.

Brushing your teeth is the foundation on the way to their beauty, whiteness and good health. You need to brush your teeth twice a day. After eating, rinse your mouth with clean water or rinse aid. At some points in the food service near the sink there are small coolers with refreshing liquid. After eating, you need to rinse your mouth - this will not only save you from food debris, but also disinfect the surface of the teeth and freshen your breath. To brush your teeth in the morning and evening you need at least 2 minutes. Be sure to visit your dentist twice a year as a preventative measure. Careful oral hygiene, instilled in a child from childhood, is the basis of his healthy and strong teeth. Choose the right paste to get the most out of your product.

Video: what kind of toothpaste do you really need