How often do you brush your teeth? If the answer is after each meal, you will be doing the right thing. Although then you might ask other questions such as, are all dentifrices equally good for teeth? Or do we know in which case you have to use each one? These questions must be taken into account because, although it may not seem so, they are factors that can negatively affect our mouth.
Low fluoride dentifrices protect less
Toothpaste whose fluoride concentration is low is usually the least effective. In fact, these types of dentifrices do not fulfill the functions of anti-plates and anti-caries, so they expose the teeth to bacterial attacks. Therefore, we must ensure that the fluorine concentration of our toothpaste is not less than one thousand particles per million (1000 ppm). In addition, our tooth enamel can be affected by such dentifrices as they contain multiple chemicals that can irreversibly damage it.
Abrasive ingredients = dynamite for your teeth
Among these abrasive substances are calcium carbonate and silicates, which eliminate the remains that remain in the mouth. When their concentration is excessive, they severely damage the enamel. One of the most used substances is hydrogen, which is usually contained in whitening toothpastes. In these cases, the concentration cannot exceed 1.5%.
Erosion: acidity damage
Unlike abrasion, dental erosion is the process related to the loss of enamel due to contact with acidic substances. How does contact with acidity arise? As the causes may be due to food or gastroesophageal reflux. Coca-Cola, soft drinks, carbonates, packaged fruit juices or beers, would be blacklisted as more erosive foods.
What types of toothpaste exist?
When choosing a toothpaste, in addition to its composition, we must also take into account what the benefits are. Among them, we find:
• Anti-caries: contain fluoride to strengthen teeth.
• Gingivitis: used when there is an inflammation of the gums. In these cases, the toothpaste itself is an essential element of the treatment, since it usually contains triclosan, a substance that works the antiseptic activity.
• Whitening: As we have said before, they contain peroxide, an abrasive substance that works to achieve teeth whitening.
• Desensitizers: These pastes seal the dentin in order to protect the nerve endings. In this way, they manage to avoid pain.
In the case of children, it is important to know that toothpaste is different from that of adults, since the fluoride concentration must be much lower. Up to 12 years old it is advisable to use this type of toothpaste.