I am bewildered when I go to the store at the variations of toothpaste on offer. Not just from different manufacturers but options the same manufacturer offer.
Here is a sample of only some of the offerings from Crest:
Crest Complete Extra Whitening Toothpaste with Tartar Protection
Crest Plus Tartar Protection Toothpaste
Crest Complete Whitening + Scope
Crest Premium Plus Advanced Whitening Toothpaste
Crest 3D White Stain Eraser Toothpaste
Crest Pro-Health Densify Toothpaste
Crest Pro-Health Gum Detoxify Toothpaste
That is actually an incomplete list. They have more (including a kids line).
I am interested if the above are substantially different but, also, wondering if there is a significant difference between manufacturers e.g. Colgate or Arm & Hammer or Paradontax (to name a few)?
Or, is it pretty much pick any fluoride toothpaste and brush your teeth regularly?
I think it is reasonable to presume that the “Tartar protection” and “Enamel protection” varieties have a different formula, each one with a little extra of whatever it has to protect this or that. But there are a half-dozen listed who tout “white”, and I can’t help but suspect that they are virtually identical to each other.
I get toothpaste without sodium laurel sulfate. That stuff is an irritant and is bad news if you’re prone to cancker sores. It’s a mild detergent that makes toothpaste foamy.
Mega dittoes. I used to have a terrible canker sore problem until a dentist mentioned this as a possible cause. Since transitioning to SLS-free toothpaste, no more sores.
The downside is that it’s pretty hard to find. None of the shelf brands in my area qualify. I have to get it online.
I think there’s the ingredient list and the taste to take into account, and I guess price. The ingredient list shows real differences. I use toothpaste with potassium nitrate to reduce tooth sensitivity, and I avoid toothpaste with hydrogen peroxide as it causes sloughing. Many people have preferences for (or against) tin fluoride, or abrasives.
What I notice is that even though the label talks about enamel protection or whatever, the fine print lists only the fluoride (sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, etc) as an active ingredient. Everything else is listed as inactive. That makes me skeptical of all the specialty claims.
I came here to say this. I’m fine with most plain or genericaly minty Crest labels, but I once bought some non-Crest/Colgate brand because it was on sale, and my mouth once broke out in colossal, painful sores. When I had it checked out, my doctor said SLS in the toothpaste had caused it. Switched to plain white Crest and they went away almost overnight.
Enamelon made several of my recurrently-achy teeth stop hurting. Sensodyne, which I"d had prescribed for me for those reasons, had had no impact, do the dentish said “Ok, let’s try you on Enamelon then”.
Both of the tubes in my bathroom say “If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, call poison control”. I’m not sure where that line is, but I’m quite sure that as long as you make a good faith effort to not deliberately swallow your toothpaste every time you brush, it wouldn’t fall under “more than used for brushing”. The dose makes the poison.
Late 1970s or early 1980s, we bought toothpaste from a neighbor who sold Amway. My mom told the dentist how well it worked. The dentist told her that the active ingredient was powdered eggshells. In the short run, it would make your teeth beautifully white, but in the long run, it would damage the enamel. So, we switched back to the store brands.