Choosing toothpaste is a topic of discussion in our office more often than you might think. There was a time when we had a few major brands to choose from and that was it. These days, there are all kinds of toothpastes on the market. With so many choices, we've seen a rise in our clients asking us which one they should choose. So today, we're going to talk about toothpaste and choosing the best one for you. After all, we wouldn't be the best dentist in Staten Island if we didn't keep our patients in the know.
The first thing to know is that toothpaste is an important part of your dental healthcare routine. There is a growing portion of the population out there that has chosen to forego using toothpaste in favor of things like baking soda scrubs in an effort to be more natural. We firmly believe that there is a time and place for natural approaches to almost everything, but not in the case of toothpaste.
So why is toothpaste so important? Toothpaste helps effectively remove plaque and bacterial buildup and fights off gum disease. In addition, most toothpastes contain fluoride which helps strengthen tooth enamel and fights tooth decay. In general, namebrand toothpastes will contain a detergent to make the toothpaste foamy and allow it to get into tight spots, mild surfactants to help gently scour away debris and plaque, and some sort of sweetener that won't cause tooth decay.
When choosing toothpaste, we recommend using one of the name brands that contain fluoride. Brands like Crest, Colgate, Sensodyne and the like all contain fluoride which helps strengthen teeth. In addition, these brands are both regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and recognized by the ADA (American Dental Association). We recognize these toothpastes because we have seen the data from decades of their use. We know they work. Unfortunately, that's not the case for other toothpastes on the market.
We want to be the Staten Island dentist that you visit for maintenance rather than repair whenever possible, so it's so important to us that you understand the benefits and importance of ADA recognized toothpaste. These toothpastes help keep your whole mouth healthy by:
The ingredients in toothpastes like the ones that we mentioned above have been proven again and again to help keep the teeth and gums healthy and strong. The toothpastes flooding the market these days that call themselves all-natural or push the idea that fluoride is bad just can't do that. In fact, using toothpastes that aren't FDA regulated and ADA recognized can actually make your mouth more unhealthy because they can't adequately do the job they're intended to do.
We can't recommend choosing an ADA recognized toothpaste enough. They really do the job better than anything else. That being said, you still have a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing toothpaste. All the major brands have a wide range of varieties, with everything from added charcoal to whitening agents. Choose the one that fits your needs, just be sure that it's an FDA approved and ADA recognized brand.
