Toothpastes serve mainly as a cleaning agent. But there are also various toothpaste products that serve as an additional product in addition to its aim for oral hygiene. Like other parts of the body like hair and skin, the types of necessary oral attention also vary from one individual to the other. While some may have sensitive gums, others may suffer from yellow teeth.[break]
So The Week brings you different types of toothpastes that should be used for specific purposes. The next time you lay your hands on a new pack of toothpaste, make sure that it fulfills your oral health criteria.
Desensitizing toothpastes
These toothpastes are recommended for people who have dentine hypersensitivity. The hypersensitivity can range from irritation to intense pain caused by several factors, like decaying teeth or exposed tooth roots. The desensitizing toothpastes interrupt the neurone response to pain stimuli and they occlude the dentinal tubules of the dentine to help lessen the pain or irritation caused by the sensitivity.
Desensitizing toothpastes also vary in its constituent active ingredients according to the level of sensitivity. If you have higher hypersensitivity, it’s advisable to visit your dentist and ask him to recommend you the best-suited toothpaste.
Anti-plaque toothpastes
Anti-plaque toothpastes help to reduce and remove the sticky and colorless film composed of sugars and bacteria that forms on the surface of the teeth after eating. It also reduces the toxic effects of bacterial toxin on the tooth surrounding tissues and lessens the chances of gum diseases. Xylitol is the ingredient mostly used in these kinds of toothpastes since it has the ability to making the bacteria difficult to adhere to the surface of the teeth. Another ingredient in anti-plaque toothpaste is zinc citrate trihydrate. This helps to inhibit the formation of tartar which is the result of longstanding plaque that has hardened from the accumulation of minerals from saliva and food.
Therefore, if you tend to build up plaque or tartar quickly, choose a plaque- or tartar-control toothpaste.
Anti-decay toothpastes
These are generally the normal toothpastes that are found in the market. Anti-decay toothpastes usually contain Fluoride compounds such as Sodium Fluoride, Stannous Fluoride, or Monofluorophosphate. It’s generally believed that fluoride content at 1,000 parts per million in a toothpaste is sufficient for preventing tooth decay. These contents, however, can be lesser in children’s toothpaste due to the danger of children swallowing large amounts of fluoride. You can also check for other components in the toothpaste, such as constituents of anti-bacterial agents, that help reduce tartar and bad breath and the re-mineralization that helps in the reformation of the teeth enamel.
Whitening toothpaste
These toothpastes usually contain coarse abrasives that mainly function to erode the stains from the teeth surface. It’s generally good for smokers or people who frequently drink tea or coffee. Though many users are affirmative about whitening toothpastes as being useful to remove stains from their teeth, experts believe that the ingredients necessary to actually bleach your teeth are not chemically stable enough to be included in toothpastes. Thus the term “whitening” is misleading. Therefore, you should know that these toothpastes only remove adherent stain.
You should also be cautioned against such whitening toothpastes as they may contain excessive amount of abrasives to remove heavy stains that may cause progressive wearing away of the teeth and supporting tissues.
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