Paste Test
There are two considerations
to keep in mind when buying a toothpaste: clinical effectiveness and aesthetic
appeal. On the former, I talked to dentists on both sides of the Atlantic. On
the latter, I and a team of researchers (my friends, mostly) sampled more than
35 different toothpastes. First, the clinical categories.
Fluoride: Clinical
effectiveness basically means "Does it have fluoride?" If it does, it's
effective--fluoride strengthens tooth enamel. Some toothpastes boast than
others, but the difference is negligible. Most dentists agree that if it's got
fluoride and it's approved by the American Dental Association, you can't go
wrong with it. How regularly and how attentively you brush matters far more
than what you brush with. But while it's true that any fluoride toothpaste will
do a fine job, certain clinical distinctions may help you choose your weapon.
Some toothpaste claims are bogus, but others are for real.
Tartar
control: For real! Tartar control toothpastes (Crest Tartar Control,
Colgate Tartar Control With Micro-Cleaning Crystals) feature an ingredient
called tetrasodium pyrophosphate. This sponges up minerals in your saliva that
would otherwise collect on your teeth and form tartar (hardened plaque). Tartar
control toothpastes can't remove tartar, but they can stave it off.
Toothpastes for sensitive teeth: For
real--sort of. Toothpastes for sensitive teeth (Sensodyne, Crest Sensitivity
Protection) use potassium nitrate to block nerves connected to your teeth. This
works for people with receded gums. But if your sensitivity stems instead from
cavities, habitual tooth grinding, or a root canal problem (as it does for most
people), sorry--these products won't do a thing for you.
Baking
soda: Bogus! Baking soda (Aquafresh Baking Soda, Colgate Baking Soda &
Peroxide) is a popular toothpaste ingredient. Baking soda does nothing
whatsoever for your teeth. However, its effervescence may leave your mouth
feeling fresh and clean. If this encourages you to brush more often, mazel
tov .
Whitening: Entirely bogus! Whitening
toothpastes (Mentadent Advanced Whitening, Colgate Platinum Whitening,
Rembrandt, countless others) remove surface stains--but all toothpastes will do
this, even the nonwhitening kinds. No toothpaste can whiten your teeth
permanently. Dentists can apply peroxide solutions to bleach your teeth (just
as peroxide would bleach your hair), but the peroxide would have to stay on
your teeth for several continuous hours before it made any difference. Brushing
with whitening toothpastes does nothing, no matter how many times you have at
it. Topol "smoker's" toothpaste claims to remove stains caused by smoking.
Again, it is no more effective than any regular toothpaste would be--it just
costs more. Rembrandt's whitening pastes can cost up to $8 per tube--a horrible
rip-off.
Triclosan: For real!
Triclosan is an anti-microbial solution currently available in a single
toothpaste: Colgate Total. One dentist I spoke with called Total "the first
revolutionary toothpaste in a long time." Why? Triclosan clings to your teeth
even after you finish brushing and continues to kill bacteria (the dentist says
you may feel a "residual slipperiness" after you brush with Total). Because it
alone contains triclosan, Colgate Total is without question the most clinically
effective toothpaste on the market, for now. Other toothpastes will no doubt
add triclosan soon.
Of
course, as noted above, any fluoride toothpaste will do an adequate job. For
this reason, you may wish to buy CVS brand tartar control toothpaste (or a
similar generic brand), which is fluoridated, has tartar control, and is every
bit as effective as every other toothpaste save Colgate Total, yet costs
significantly less than its flashier competitors. Or you may wish to ignore all
the above advice and choose among the flashier competitors for aesthetic
reasons, which are laid out below.
Consistency: This is determined foremost
by whether the toothpaste is a "gel" or a "paste." Gels use silica as an
abrasive to help polish teeth. Pastes use calcium carbonate to the same end.
Simply a matter of preference for the brusher. For some reason nearly every
kids' toothpaste (Colgate Barney, Oral-B Rugrats) is a viscous gel--especially
perplexing since thick gels are ineradicable when smeared across a sink top.
Consistency has a direct impact on ...
Ease of
squeeze: Some brands offer smooth, even flow from the tube; others do not.
Crest is the standard here, while Colgate products tend toward runniness. The
outlier: Rembrandt Age Defying Adult Formula Toothpaste (don't ask about the
"Age Defying" part). This product was so thick that it refused to come out of
its tube, even when squeezed with both hands at once. My researchers quickly
dubbed it "the sword in the stone." Only stomping on the tube with a shod foot
produced any results, and those meager. One shudders to imagine an actual aged
person attempting to use this toothpaste.
Packaging: The main choice here is screw
top or flip top. Flip tops make more sense, as you can open the tube and
squeeze it with one hand and you'll never drop a tiny toothpaste cap behind
your toilet. But one packaging design thinks out-of-the-tube entirely:
Mentadent's stand-up pump (Mentadent Advanced Whitening, Mentadent Crystal
Ice). The Mentadent pump is just like the monolith from 2001 , if the
monolith were white instead of black and emitted a fluoride toothpaste instead
of consciousness-altering rays. When you press down on top of the pump, two
separate substances emerge from two separate and concealed tanks. One tank
holds paste, the other gel, and the two strands join on your brush in beautiful
harmony. The pump also offers superb ease of squeeze. To be clear: Mentadent
toothpastes are no better clinically than the CVS brand--they're just cooler
looking.
Color: Most brands opt for classic titanium white or translucent
blue-green. Aquafresh Baking Soda stands out with a barber pole stripe of jade
and crimson. Colgate Baking Soda & Peroxide is a sickly, opaque green.
Colgate Barney (for kids) is neon pink.
Taste: After sampling more than 35
different toothpastes, my researchers and I came to some conclusions about
taste. A traditional minty zing is good. But it must have a real bite so your
mouth feels clean. Compare Rembrandt Natural and Rembrandt With Baking Soda:
The baking soda paste is not overpowering, but it bites just enough to let you
know it's there. The natural paste, meanwhile, lacks all bite, and your mouth
feels dirtier after you've brushed. The foaming action of baking soda in this
case makes all the difference. A severely biteless paste such as Colgate
Platinum Whitening Mild Mint can be retch-triggering. Some further
observations:
Generally, "natural" pastes
(Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste) taste awful, first because they lack bite
but also because they use "natural" flavoring ingredients such as papaya
(Rembrandt Natural). You may think you want to brush your teeth with papaya,
but you don't. Rembrandt Age Defying, when finally coaxed from its tube, tasted
like rancid cinnamon and smelled of Ben-Gay--a miserable paste by any measure.
Aquafresh Whitening Striped Gel is zesty and clean-feeling with good ease of
squeeze and little aftertaste--a solid entry. Cool Mint Listerine Tartar
Control Gel is a minty and pleasant concoction, unlike the mouthwash. Crest
Gum-Care tastes repulsively buttery at first, then slightly bilious--its
lingering aftertaste makes your teeth feel chapped. Finally, kids' toothpastes
all taste like bubble gum. Again, you may think you want to brush your teeth
with bubble gum, but unless you're under 10, you don't.
Our clinical champion,
Colgate Total, got mixed reviews on taste. It could have used more bite, and it
tasted a bit medicinal. The clear winner on aesthetics in general: Mentadent
Crystal Ice. Researchers likened it to "brushing with Altoids" and claimed it
cleared out nasal passages. The baking soda in Crystal Ice made my mouth foam
like a rabid animal's, leaving my teeth feeling reborn. Couple this with the
pump technology and the combination of gel and paste, and we have a hands down
winner.
If you
missed the sidebar on differing fluoride concentrations, click .
