Advice on best toothpaste please

Toothsmith

It dissolves easily, is pretty gentle, and is a decent stain remover. It wouldn't do any harm.

Bicarb toothpastes are formulated specifically for use as a toothpaste, and have all the antibacterial extras and fluoride, so they would be more effecive as a tooth cleaner, but no - bicarb used sensibly wouldn't harm.

Teerah

Agreed. As a fairly weak alkaline, it will do no harm and is a natural toothpaste alternative. It is also fairly good at stain removal.

Teak

Teerah wrote: »

Hi Ellie, no I think you are talking about a different toothpaste which as you rightly say is made by sensodyne. It is called "pronamel" and is recommended to help deal with dietary erosion of the teeth. It is fairly new and available in shops. It wont repair them back to where they were before though.

I've always wondered about pronamel. What is in it that makes it especially good for dietary erosion? Is it just marketing junk and all the claims relate to fluoride? So any other fluoride toothpaste would do the same?

An American toothpaste called Oravive looks interesting. No fluoride but meant to contain calcium and phosphorus ions, that along with the ions naturally in your saliva help remineralisation.

Now33

Any one got any suggestions as to the best value toothpaste/mouthwash products on the market?

Toothsmith

Don't bother with a mouthwash. But get a decent toothbrush and toothpaste, and spend plenty of time on your toothbrushing.

tonytooth

In terms of the best value pastes, the supermarket own-brands (e.g. tesco total care) are as good as the leading brands, for about a quarter of the price.

eryn_kathleen

What about gum disease, Toothsmith?

I'm just curious because my dentist suggested Listerine and Hydrogen Peroxide to prevent my gum disease getting worse. Apparently mine's not too bad, but my dad's is awful!

melancholly

Toothsmith wrote: »

Don't bother with a mouthwash. But get a decent toothbrush and toothpaste, and spend plenty of time on your toothbrushing.

is it really not worth it? given my fun the other weekend with emergency dentists (all fixed now and it wasn't a root canal, just a filling - hurrah!), i got some new mouthwash just to be on the safe side..... no benefit at all? (I picked a non-alcoholic one specially too!)

cifpower

I use Dentyl PH and it is shocking what toothbrushing can miss!

Toothsmith

A purely fluoride mouthwash such as Colgate Fluoriguard may be of benefit, but use it at least 1/2 hour before or after brushing, as at the time of brushing your mouth is awash with fluoride anyway!

I personally am not fond of antibacterial mouthwashes. There is a natural 'lawn' of bacteria that live in your mouth anyway, and it's generally pretty well balanced. If you muck about with mouthwashes that kill some bugs and not others, then the balance is disurbed, and can lead to things like MORE staining on the teeth.

Spend more time with a toothbrush if you really want nice clean teeth. There isn't a chemical alternative to a good 2,3 or even 4 mins with a toothbrush.