Toothpaste Ingredients and what are they used for
Toothpaste
We all use it daily in the morning and at night. We all use it for fresh breath and feel that using a toothpaste will help evade all the germs inside our mouth. That’s a cliched statement but yes we have been believing in it since long long time that a toothpaste helps in fighting gum disease. But nevertheless it has its own qualities. These qualities in a toothpaste is due to various ingredients present in it.
Most of the toothpaste consist of the same ingredients. These are termed as active and inactive ingredients. The active ingredients are the ones which help in fighting cavities and minimize the risk of gum disease. The inactive one are those which give toothpaste its taste and texture. Although these inactive ingredients do not protect your teeth from various dental problems but just imagine the taste and texture without their presence.
Essentially there are 5 key ingredients in a toothpaste and each has its own characteristic value. What are these 5 ingredients lets find out:
- Fluoride: One of the most important ingredient and its role is to fight cavities. As per American Dental Association’s MouthHealthy site fluoride is the most common substance and a natural cavity fighter. Fluoride provides strength to the teeth and makes them less vulnerable to cavity and decay.
- Abrasives: Technically speaking this falls under the inactive ingredients but its role is also that of an active ingredient. The reason why they fall under the category of active ingredient because they help in removing food debris and stains from teeth. During the Egyptian times abrasives used were made out of very rough materials which also used crushed egg shells. On the other hand Romans used crushed oysters shells. However time has changed and we do not have to follow those traditions. Today the abrasives include calcium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels and hydrated aluminium oxides. The primary objective of abrasive is to remove the food debris without scratching off the enamel.
- Flavors: So I have to admit that fluoride and abrasives are important but at the same time I will have to say that they do not add any sort of flavors to the toothpaste. This is the reason why there are so many delicious flavors in your toothpaste. The flavors in a toothpaste comes from sweetening agents which includes saccharin or sorbitol. Certain toothpastes are designed specifically for kids and have a fruity flavor. Even though these toothpaste have a sweet flavor but they do not contain sugar and this reveals that they won’t cause tooth decay.
- Humectants: These are ingredients which will not avoid water loss in toothpaste. Sorbitol present in the toothpaste performs this function as well besides adding flavor to the toothpaste. The reason why you see a soft and smooth substance coming out of toothpaste is because of these humectants. Apart from Sorbitol a toothpaste also includes glycol and glycerine as humectants.
- Detergents: Okay so you started rubbing your toothbrush on your teeth and you see foam all over your mouth. This is caused by the detergents and the most common detergents placed in toothpastes is sodium lauryl sulfate.
So these were some of the ingredients of toothpaste and if you just want to be sure that what does a pack of toothpaste consist of all you need to do is flip the box and see the ingredients. Make sure you buy a toothpaste which has been approved by American Dental Association.
