Toothpaste which 'repairs'..? Really???

Charlton_King

Has anyone else been scratching their heads lately at the number of new toothpastes for which quasi-miraculous powers are being claimed?

I was watching a TV Colgate ad yesterday which was claiming, and get this, 'instant' repairing of damaged teeth.

What's going on? Can these claims really be true or are they having us on?

brook2jack

In a nutshell they are having you on.

The early stages of decay , erosion can be healed by any fluoride containing tooth paste , and certain other toothpastes/mousses have minerals which will aid repairing this early damage.

However this damage is at the microscopic level, in other words you will not see any visible repair to the tooth.

People buy these products thinking they will repair visible damage and strengthen very compromised teeth. They will not .

The most important thing is to change your diet/habits/cleaning regime to stop the damage. Ordinary fluoride containing toothpaste will help most people.

A few with particular needs may need a higher fluoride toothpaste prescribed by the dentist , or a specialised product such as biomin, tooth mousse , or sensitive toothpaste etc recommended by the dentist. But on the whole the cheapest own brand toothpaste will do just as good a job as one costing many times more.

Charlton_King

brook2jack wrote: »

In a nutshell they are having you on.

The early stages of decay , erosion can be healed by any fluoride containing tooth paste , and certain other toothpastes/mousses have minerals which will aid repairing this early damage.

However this damage is at the microscopic level, in other words you will not see any visible repair to the tooth.

People buy these products thinking they will repair visible damage and strengthen very compromised teeth. They will not .

The most important thing is to change your diet/habits/cleaning regime to stop the damage. Ordinary fluoride containing toothpaste will help most people.

A few with particular needs may need a higher fluoride toothpaste prescribed by the dentist , or a specialised product such as biomin, tooth mousse , or sensitive toothpaste etc recommended by the dentist. But on the whole the cheapest own brand toothpaste will do just as good a job as one costing many times more.

My highlights. Precisely what I thought. It was just that there seemed to have been an explosion in these claims lately... I wondered if I had missed the news about some scientific breakthrough. Not that our news editorial teams these days bother what they regard as the Great Dumbed Down with anything approaching science.


So, a marketing ploy rather than anything real. Why is one not surprised..?

Anoneemoose

brook2jack wrote: »

In a nutshell they are having you on.

The early stages of decay , erosion can be healed by any fluoride containing tooth paste , and certain other toothpastes/mousses have minerals which will aid repairing this early damage.

However this damage is at the microscopic level, in other words you will not see any visible repair to the tooth.

People buy these products thinking they will repair visible damage and strengthen very compromised teeth. They will not .

The most important thing is to change your diet/habits/cleaning regime to stop the damage. Ordinary fluoride containing toothpaste will help most people.

A few with particular needs may need a higher fluoride toothpaste prescribed by the dentist , or a specialised product such as biomin, tooth mousse , or sensitive toothpaste etc recommended by the dentist. But on the whole the cheapest own brand toothpaste will do just as good a job as one costing many times more.

I’ve always wondered, are all toothpastes ‘the same’. As in, I buy whatever’s on offer for around £1 a tube. It’s usually colgate of some sort. But then I see these Oral B ones and I wonder, is a more expensive one better?

prowla

I saw the "instant repair" ad too and didn't believe it for a moment.

BananaRepublic

prowla wrote: »

I saw the "instant repair" ad too and didn't believe it for a moment.

Adverts are not allowed to make false claims. However, there is clearly a grey area, where something is true in the literal sense, but of no practical benefit. I would argue that the toothpaste claims are deceptive, but clearly the highly educated non science types in the advertising authority disagree.

Stoke

I buy various ones that promise the world and deliver very little. I also buy teeth whitening mouthwash (not that i have particularly bad teeth) and I'm pretty sure that's a fraud as well.

brook2jack

There is no legally available toothpaste or mouthwash that will whitening teeth.

Some very abrasive toothpastes May wear stain off (and tooth enamel) but none will whiten as it is illegal for them to contain a sufficient percentage of the chemical which whitens teeth .

Mouthwashes also cannot legally contain sufficient percentage to whiten teeth and anyway are in contact with the teeth for so short a time they would never whiten teeth no matter what you used.

Most mouthwash is useless, it interacts with toothpaste , stopping it working , and should not be used within two hours of brushing teeth.

Only one type of mouthwash is clinically any good, it should be used for a short period of time only, as recommended by a dentist.

Stoke

brook2jack wrote: »

There is no legally available toothpaste or mouthwash that will whitening teeth.

Some very abrasive toothpastes May wear stain off (and tooth enamel) but none will whiten as it is illegal for them to contain a sufficient percentage of the chemical which whitens teeth .

Mouthwashes also cannot legally contain sufficient percentage to whiten teeth and anyway are in contact with the teeth for so short a time they would never whiten teeth no matter what you used.

Most mouthwash is useless, it interacts with toothpaste , stopping it working , and should not be used within two hours of brushing teeth.

Only one type of mouthwash is clinically any good, it should be used for a short period of time only, as recommended by a dentist.

I never use it after brushing because i know it interferes with the toothpaste. It's useful to have in the car though etc.