When I was a kid I dreaded going to the dentist. I could just look at a lollypop and get a cavity, and dealt with sealants, wisdom teeth, retainers, caps for chipped teeth, and more. But once I was an adult, I looked forward to going to the dentist. Other than needing an NTI to stop grinding while I slept, my 6-month visits were positive, with the hygienist complimenting me on my flossing and tooth care. I came to enjoy dental care, from flossing to mouthwash and brushing my teeth three times a day.
But once I hit 40 it's like my mouth decided to get old. Suddenly I was experiencing the occasional bleeding when I brushed, and I was getting sensitivity to heat and cold. My dentist put some bonding on the most sensitive tooth, but that fell off almost instantly and left me with an even more sensitive tooth.
My dad had terrible teeth and used Sensodyne and I dreaded using it. He was a secret smoker and I think brushed his teeth to hide the smell of cigarettes and it didn't work. It just made me think Sensodyne was crappy toothpaste. But I was sick of the electric twinges and eating strangely so I got a tube of Sensodyne Extra Whitening. I was using whitening toothpaste and didn't want to lose that perk.
Sensodyne Extra Whitening did help with the sensitivity, but it didn't help with breath freshening or whitening. It was... fine. I ended up using mouthwash with it because I didn't feel fresh, and I saw my teeth get more yellow with the weeks I was using it.
Then I saw an ad on TV for Sensodyne True White Extra Fresh Toothpaste and was intrigued. Was this the same stuff just repackaged? It's hard to tell even on the Sensodyne website; the Extra Whitening has the active ingredients of Potassium nitrate and Sodium fluoride w/v fluoride ion and the True White (not linking to their site for this because it has an auto-play video of their ad and it's LOUD) had 5% Potassium nitrate and 5% Sodium fluoride. I figured it couldn't hurt to try the new version.
I don't know if it's good marketing or a different formula, but I think it makes my teeth whiter, and it works just as well as sensitivity. Doesn't make my teeth as white as with Crest 3D White but I believe more than with the Extra Whitening version. And it works just as well to reduce sensitivity. But the biggest plus is my mouth feels fresher after brushing; I missed that cool tingly "aaah" feeling after a session with my electric toothbrush and I have it again with the Extra Fresh formula (though not as strong as with standard toothpaste). If you have tooth sensitivity, don't suck it up and don't make weird faces to try to drink that water without it touching certain parts of your mouth. Sensodyne isn't the same crap from decades ago, and a confident smile is far more chic than a white yet painful one!
