About Toothpaste

• Purpose
• Ingredients
• More About Toothpaste
  • fluoride
  • baking soda toothpaste
  • tartar control
  • toothpaste without SLS
  • desensitizing toothpaste
• History
• What does %w/w, %w/v and %v/v mean?

Purpose

Toothpaste is not required to clean teeth (see about dry brushing, click here).  Toothpaste can aid in cleaning, but more importantly, it delivers active ingredients to help teeth and/or gums.

Ingredients

The following basic ingredients are common to most toothpastes:

abrasives	10-50%
	Used to aid in the removal of plaque / tartar. Examples:  alumina, hydrated silica, dicalcium phosphate, salt, pumice, kaolin, bentonite, calcium carbonate (chalk), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), calcium pyrophosphate
active ingredients	0.2-1.5%
	Active ingredients are those components of toothpaste that have a direct effect on the teeth or gums.  Active ingredients must be blended in a way that their activity is not lost. Examples:   decay prevention fluoride (sodium monofluorophosphate, stannous fluoride, or sodium fluoride), xylitol [reduces decay levels and enhances remineralization] ppm sodium fluoride sodium monofluorophosphate 1500 0.32% 1.14% 1000 0.22% 0.76% 500 0.11% 0.38% % is calculated as %w/w, click here antibacterial agents Triclosan, sanguinaria extract, baking soda (when greater than 26%), zinc citrate trihydrate, polyphenols, stannous fluoride, essential oils tartar control agents tetrasodium pyrophosphate, Gantrez S-70, sodium tri-polyphosphate enzymes to enhance antibacterial properties of saliva glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, lysozyme desensitizing agents potassium nitrate, strontium chloride, sodium citrate
coloring agents
	Coloring adds pleasant esthetics so that we find toothpaste visually appealing. Examples:  red, green (D&C #5), and blue; titanium dioxide (white)
detergents	0.5-2%
	Also known as soaps, foaming agents, or surfactants.  All surfactants help aid in the removal of compounds that have properties different from one another like oil and water.  The presence of detergents requires flavoring to mask their dreadful flavor. Examples:  sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, sodium N-lauryl sarcosinate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, sodium stearyl fumarate, sodium stearyl lactate, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
flavoring	0.8-1.5%
	Flavoring is added for obvious reasons.  It is also functions to mask the flavor of the detergent component, especially SLS.  Mint flavors, especially when combined with menthol, contain oils that volatilize in the warmth of the mouth.  The volatilization requires energy, which is extracted from the tissues of the mouth as heat, thereby imparting a cooling sensation. Examples:  peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, wintergreen, and menthol, fennel
humectants	15-70%
	Humectants retain water and help maintain a consistent paste-like quality in the toothpaste, preventing a separation of the liquid and solids in the toothpaste.  Humectants in some cases can affect flavor, coolness and sweetness. Examples:  sorbitol, pentatol, glycerol, glycerin, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, water, xylitol (uncommon, but superior), PEG 8 (polyoxyethylene glycol esters), PPG (polyoxyethylene ethers)
thickeners	0.4-2%
	Thickeners create the texture of toothpaste. Examples:  carrageenan, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), cellulose ethers, sodium alginate, carbopols, silica thickeners, sodium aluminum silicates, clays
preservatives
	Preservatives prevent the growth of microorganisms in toothpaste. Examples:  sodium benzoate, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben
sweeteners	0.8-1.5%
	Sweeteners are provided for palatability and acceptance.  Most toothpastes have sorbitol or glycerol/glycerin as humectants which are sweet, but only about 60% the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar), so other sweeteners are needed. Examples:  calcium or sodium saccharin (banned in Canada), aspartame (Nutrasweet)
water	0-50%
	Necessary component of toothpaste v. dry tooth powders.
whiteners
	Whiteners added to toothpaste cannot whiten the teeth, but rather work to reduce stain on teeth. Examples:  peroxide, citroxain, titanium dioxide, and certain abrasives
other
	Many other agents are included in toothpaste.  Many purport to have beneficial effects. Examples:  stabilized chlorine dioxide, mellaleuca, neem, CPP-ACP

More About Toothpaste

Fluoride

Fluoride in the drinking water is only for teeth that are still forming (until age 16).  It is built into the tooth.

Fluoride in toothpaste and fluoride treatments are for the surfaces of teeth - and definitely work to prevent decay.

Dietary Fluoride Supplement Recommendations

 * 1 part per million (ppm) = 1 milligram/liter (mg/L)
 ** 2.2 mg sodium fluoride contains 1 mg fluoride ion.

It is suggested that only children living in non-fluoridated areas use dietary fluoride supplements between the ages of six months to 16 years.  Your physician or dentist can prescribe the correct dosage for your child based on the following considerations.

• Level of fluoride in your drinking water.  If the fluoride level is not known, it should be tested first.  State and local health departments can provide information on testing drinking water for fluoride levels.
• A complete fluoride history should include all the your child's sources of fluoride.  Don't forget all water sources (drinking water, juice, etc.).
• If your child is to benefit from the cavity protection that dietary fluoride supplements can provide, long-term use on a daily basis is required.

Baking Soda Toothpaste

	Toothpaste (with baking soda)	% baking soda
	Peroxicare Tartar Control	51%
	Crest	20%
	Colgate	12%
	Mentadent	5%

Baking soda is very low on abrasion (even plain baking soda is less abrasive than Crest or Colgate).  It's primary function is to kill bacteria; however, at least 26% baking soda is required. Only Arm & Hammer Multi-Benefit Peroxicare toothpaste has enough at 51% (the only toothpaste I recommend).

Tartar Control

Tartar control works.  The tartar control ingredients cannot remove tartar, they only prevent it - about 40-50% reduction in the amount of tartar.  Even for the tartar that may form, it is much less tenacious when tartar control is used all the time.

Tartar is hardened plaque germs.  It is more beneficial to prevent tartar from even forming by removing plaque completely by brushing and flossing effectively (see Dry Brushing).

Tartar is not the main problem, in fact, you can even have healthy gums with tartar present, it's just more difficult to do.  The plaque germs that adhere to the rough tartar are the main problem.  Tartar is also what stains, not teeth.  No tartar, no stain*.

* Over years teeth do in fact pick up some color internally and this is what tooth bleaching is designed to address.

Toothpaste Without SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate)

Some people are sensitive to a common ingredient in most toothpaste called sodium lauryl sulfate that can cause canker sores.  An excellent toothpaste without SLS for people sensitive to SLS is Biotene.  Arm & Hammer Dental Care tooth powder also does not contain SLS.

Desensitizing Toothpaste

Desensitizing toothpaste works if used regularly.  It helps block microscopic pores on the root surface.  Also, it will take 4-6 weeks to feel results.  A hint to speed the desensitizing process is to place a small amount of desensitizing toothpaste on the exposed root surface when you are done brushing and rinsing.

History

The activity of keeping the mouth clean dates all the way back to the religious figure Buddha.  It has been recorded that he would use a "tooth stick" from the God Sakka as part of his personal hygiene regimen.

Recipes were found for making toothpaste that date back to 1500 BC.  Hippocrates (460 - 377 BC) recommended their use.

In 23 - 79 AD the practice of oral hygiene included:

• Drinking goats milk for sweet breath.
• Ashes from burnt mice heads, rabbits heads, wolves heads, ox heels and goats feet were thought to benefit the gums.
• Picking the bones out of wolves excrement and wearing them was considered to be a form of protection against toothaches.
• Washing your teeth with the blood from a tortoise three times a year was a sure bet against toothaches as well.
• Mouthwashes were known to consist of pure white wine, or old urine kept especially for this purpose.

The 18th Century

• The earliest record of an actual toothpaste was in 1780 and included scrubbing the teeth with a formula containing burnt bread (a common North American breakfast).
• 1½ oz. dragons blood, 1½ oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. burnt alum, beat the above ingredients together and use every second day.

The 19th Century

• In the 19th century, charcoal became very popular for teeth cleaning purposes.
• Most toothpastes at this time were in the form of a powder.  The purpose of the tooth powder was not only to clean the teeth, but to give fresh breath.
• The succulent strawberry was considered to be a "natural" solution for preventing tartar and giving fresh breath.
• In 1855, the Farmers Almanac included this recipe for an appropriate toothpaste:  1 oz. myrrh (fine powder), 2 spoonfuls of your best honey, a pinch of green sage.  Mix together and use every night on wet teeth.
• Another toothpaste included:  2 oz. cuttlefish bone, 1 oz. cream of tartar, 2 drachms drop lake, 15 drops clover oil.  Powder, mix, sift.

The 20th Century

In the 1900's advertising began heralding the benefits of the active ingredients.  Pepsodent contained the enzyme pepsin, which supposedly whitened teeth and dissolved dental plaque.  Ipana contained ipecac, which was believed to be effective against the bacteria that caused periodontitis.  In the 1950's, Procter & Gamble launched a marketing campaign for Crest with stannous fluoride which made it the No. 1 selling toothpaste for over forty years.

• Liquid cleansers (mouth rinses) and pastes became more popular, often containing chlorophyll to give a fresh green color.
• Bleeding gums became a concern as well as aching teeth.
• In 1915 leaves from certain trees in South East Asia (Eucalyptus) were beginning to be used in mouthwash formulas.
• Listerine was introduced in 1914.

What does %w/w, %w/v and %v/v mean?

Percentages listed on ingredient labels are calculated in very specific ways.  Here is the scoop on what those percentages mean.

percentage weight for weight - %w/w
This means the percent by weight of solute in the total weight of solution. Percent here is the number of grams of solute in 100 grams of solution.  For example, a 10% w/w solution of sodium fluoride would be made by first dissolving 10 grams of sodium fluoride in a solvent (most probably water in this case) and then adding solvent to a final weight of 100 grams of solution. (This is not 100 grams of solvent, but sufficient solvent such that the final weight of solution, that is, solute (sodium fluoride) plus solvent (water), is 100 grams.

percentage weight for volume - %w/v
This means the percent by weight of solute in the total volume of solution. Normally used where the solute is a solid.  For example, a 10% w/v sodium fluoride solution would be prepared by dissolving 10 grams of sodium fluoride in 100ml of water.

percentage volume for volume - %v/v
This means the percent by volume of solute in the total volume of solution. Normally used where the solute is a liquid.  For example, a 10% v/v ethanol solution (in water) is 10ml of ethanol in 100ml of solution.