How To Choose the Right Toothpaste for Your Oral Health Needs
The toothpaste market is flooded with different types of products from various brands, all promising to improve oral health in specific ways. If you’re trying to reach specific oral health goals, choosing the right toothpaste can feel overwhelming. However, there are easy ways to narrow down the choices and choose one that will help you reach your goals, strengthen your gums, improve your teeth, and enable you to achieve your brightest and whitest smile.
Know Your Options
Toothpaste comes in different types, formulations, brands, and flavors. There are formulas that prevent cavities, natural formulas, whitening formulas, formulas that reduce sensitivity, and formulas designed for children.
While there may seem to be endless options, toothpaste formulas can be broken down into five basic categories: fluoride, sensitive teeth, tartar control, whitening, and herbal.
Fluoride Toothpaste
Fluoride toothpaste contains an active ingredient called fluoride, which is a naturally occurring mineral that helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening the enamel and remineralizing areas of the teeth that have experienced tooth decay. This is typically recommended for young children whose teeth are still developing and adults who are prone to cavities and tooth decay.
This toothpaste is ideal for those who experience pain and discomfort when consuming hot or cold foods and beverages, brushing their teeth, or even undergoing dental exams and cleanings.
Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth
Toothpaste formulas designed for those with sensitive teeth contain active ingredients like potassium nitrate and strontium chloride, which work to prevent the nerves from reacting to extreme temperatures and thereby increase comfort.
This is ideal for those who experience pain and discomfort when consuming hot or cold foods and beverages, brushing their teeth, or even undergoing dental exams and cleanings.
If your dentist detects any signs indicating that you may be entering the early stages of gum disease, he can begin a course of treatments that will help reverse it. By supporting your oral health, you’ll also be supporting your overall health and heart health.
Whitening Toothpaste
Patients who don’t have any pressing dental concerns or oral health conditions and want to improve tooth aesthetics are ideal candidates for whitening toothpaste. These products are made of active ingredients that polish the teeth and remove surface stains.
Those with minor or significant staining as a result of coffee, tea, or wine consumption are ideal candidates for whitening toothpaste as it can help brighten the smile. Those who want to safely brighten and whiten their teeth or enhance and maintain the results of a professional whitening treatment are also good candidates for a whitening toothpaste.
Tartar Control Toothpaste
Tartar control toothpaste is ideal for patients who are prone to plaque buildup and tooth decay. When plaque builds up on the teeth and isn’t removed, bacteria in the mouth increases, which can exacerbate oral health conditions and even contribute to gum disease.
Using a tartar control toothpaste with certain ingredients like zinc citrate will break down tartar and plaque in the mouth, prevent buildup, and reduce bacteria count. Patients prone to plaque formation or tooth decay are good candidates for this.
Herbal Toothpaste
Herbal, or natural, toothpaste is free of many of the ingredients found in traditional toothpaste, including artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, fluoride, sodium laurel sulfate, and more. These products contain natural ingredients that can effectively reduce bad breath, bind the formula together, naturally color and flavor the toothpaste, and remove substances from the teeth.
Common natural ingredients found in this type of toothpaste include the following:
- Bentonite clay
- Xanthan gum
- Zinc citrate
- Essential oils
- Plant and flower extracts
- Activated charcoal
- Stevia
- sorbitol
- Xylitol
- Citric acid
Natural toothpaste is ideal for those who have sensitivities to ingredients found in traditional formulas and those who prefer to take a holistic approach to oral care. Though their formulas differ from traditional toothpaste, herbal formulas can be just as effective as its chemical counterparts and can promote optimal oral health and meet the needs of men and women with sensitive teeth, those who want whiter teeth, or those who want to prevent gum disease.
Consult With Your Dentist
If you’re still unsure about which toothpaste you should use and feel overwhelmed trying to choose from all the options, there is another solution. When you visit your dentist for your routine checkup, you can ask him for recommendations based on your current oral health, your needs and your goals. Your dentist can tell you which formulas to avoid and which ones will be the best option.
He can also debunk any myths about toothpaste and manufacturer claims, steer you in the right direction, and help you choose one that will actually deliver real results with regular use.
Other Important Oral Hygiene Habits
Brushing your teeth twice a day is key to a healthy smile and gum disease prevention. However, there are other lifestyle habits you implement in addition to choosing the right toothpaste to ensure optimal oral health.
Floss Daily
Flossing is an important habit to develop and maintain, as it removes trapped food, tartar, and plaque from between and around the teeth. You can floss once a day before brushing or after each meal per your preferences, needs, and goals.
Make Healthy Food Choices
Diet has a significant impact on oral health, which is why it’s important that you make healthy food choices for the sake of your teeth and overall health. Crunchy fruits and vegetables will naturally clean your teeth and work in conjunction with your commitment to oral care to remove plaque and tartar from the surface of your teeth.
Foods like carrots, celery, apples, cauliflower, broccoli, and leafy greens will keep your teeth, healthy and clean. Avoid consuming excess sugar as it contributes to inflammation, which can negatively affect gum health, and it feeds bacteria in the mouth which can cause tooth decay, cavity formation, and when left untreated, gum disease.
Schedule Regular Dental Examinations
Scheduling bi-annual dental exams is key to maintaining optimal oral health. Your dentist will evaluate the state of your teeth and gums during these appointments, professionally clean your teeth, and recommend any additional treatments based on the results of the examination.
Routine cleanings and exams are preventative and prescriptive as they allow you to get one step ahead of any potential issues, schedule prescriptive treatments accordingly, and invest in your oral health to avoid dental issues.
Stay Active
Oral health and heart health are closely related, which is why when you engage in cardiovascular activity, you’ll also be investing in the health of your teeth and gums. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, increases blood flow and circulation, and releases endorphins, which reduce cortisol levels naturally.
Are You In Need Of A Thorough Dental Cleaning Or Dental Examination In The Martinsburg Area?
If you’re in need of a detailed dental cleaning or dental examination please feel free to contact us online or call our Martinsburg, West Virginia dental office directly at 304.267.6059 to schedule your appointment. We provide a wide range of general dentistry care as well as more involved dentistry services for patients throughout the Martinsburg area and look forward to you joining the Cornerstone Dental family.
