Oral Hygiene
Tips for Choosing Right Toothpaste
When it comes to dental hygiene, toothpaste is one of the very first things that you will have to take into consideration. Here, you will have to make sure that you have picked the right type of toothpaste for your dental hygiene. And the best help that you can get this regard comes from the dentist in form of recommendations.
What is toothpaste?
Toothpaste can be in the form of gel or powder. Its main job is to remove plaque from the teeth. Typically, toothpaste consists of abrasive agents, fluoride, humectants, thickeners, detergents, and flavoring agents. There are different types of toothpaste you can go for, i.e. whitening toothpaste, toothpaste for gum disease and toothpaste for sensitive teeth. Nearly all types of toothpaste contain fluoride as major ingredient.
What is fluoride?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral whose main jobs include keeping the teeth clean and strengthening the tooth enamel in order to resist attacks from bacterial acid which can cause tooth decay, cavities and a number of other dental and oral health complications. Foods like carrots, tea, potatoes and lamb contain fluoride. Some communities add a safe amount of fluoride in the water which we get from the water taps. It is worth mentioning here that children had three times more cavities before the communities started water fluoridation.
The fluoride which comes from foods, water and toothpaste is applied to the teeth topically. It means that this fluoride becomes the part of saliva immediately. This fluoride is regulated in the mouth throughout the day, keeping the teeth safe from the risk of getting cavities.
If you are not getting sufficient amount of fluoride from foods, water and toothpaste, your dentist may suggest you a fluoride treatment. This treatment is typically recommended for the children, but adults can also get benefit from it.
Types of toothpastes
Every type of toothpaste is different from another due to the type of function it performs. The most common types of toothpastes include the ones for reducing tooth sensitivity, treating and preventing gingivitis, plaque removal, and teeth whitening. And another category of toothpastes belongs to the ones which are flavored in order to encourage children to brush their teeth.
In this end of this article, I would like to say it again that you need to consult your dentist to get recommendation about the right kind of toothpaste which you can use.