Fluoride, cloves, mint, neem, salt, calcium: all these and many other gadgets are pushed by various global manufacturers of toothpastes as unique ingredients of the product that restore the gleam in the teeth and health in the gums.
But do you really need it? Here is a summary of the amazing facts!
My neighbor sent her home help, Elina (18), to a dental clinic to do something about her broken brown teeth. The dentist made a sudden diagnosis: severe endemic fluorosis. Elina used a fluoride-rich toothpaste.
We were pleasantly surprised. Have we not always been told that fluoride fights tooth decay? Especially in glossy magazines?
"Americans and Western Europeans tend to view fluoride as synonymous with dental care," says a dental surgeon and oral medicine specialist. "However, some suggest that fluoride is a double-edged sword. The optimal level of fluorine is one part per million. Studies suggest that fluorinated teeth are less sensitive to caries and that careless children can be professionally treated. with sodium fluoride applications by means of gels, drops and oral rinses. However, more fluoride can be worse than less. An excess of fluorine can be life-threatening and can cause severe deformation of teeth, bone structures and nervous tissues. - therefore the water must be de-fluorinated ".
In addition, fluoride has a shelf life after which it begins to decompose and, since no toothpaste has an expiration date, it is doubtful whether the fluorine in the purchased tube is effective.
There is another caveat. No child who can eat or ingest toothpaste should be allowed to use fluoride. "This can be dangerous," stresses the specialist, "because in higher doses, fluoride can damage the liver, spleen, heart, brain and lead to bone degeneration." Some governments have asked fluorinated toothpaste manufacturers to display the message: "Not recommended for children under the age of seven."
ICE CREAM AND SPIELHowever fluoride appears to have been wiped out by most indigenous producers. On the other hand, the market is expanding with toothpastes, dental creams and gels containing all kinds of other delicacies - cloves, mint, neem, salt, calcium - which will increase dental health in one way or another. However, doctors and dentists are not affected. "It's all very advertising," says the specialist. "None of these additions, not even the one created by the dentist, nor the one with a secret ingredient, improves its effectiveness or stands out from each other. Clove oil (which is the grandmother's panacea for a aching tooth) or babool (ditto for bleeding gums) have such a low content that there is no therapeutic effect. Basically, the additions are only flavors and sometimes you can even be allergic to the flavoring agent used. "
Football is another psychological ploy. Each toothpaste contains calcium phosphate, so the new entrant who claims calcium as a unique ingredient states the obvious to an unaware audience. According to the specialist: "You already have enough ionic calcium in your diet, which your teeth absorb from your saliva. You don't really need more in your toothpaste. Eat nuts and cheese instead!" (Is that why people who are proud of their smiles say "cheese"?)
To prove this point, you can drink a sweet carbonated drink. Now this will make your teeth tingle. The carbonic acid contained in the drink will remove some of the calcium from the teeth. Now rinse your mouth with calcium-rich milk. And soon your teeth will feel good again.
Here's something more to bite your teeth ...
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that brushing your teeth with water is as good as brushing them with toothpaste. Specialist agrees. "Toothpaste is not essential for cleaning teeth and the act of brushing your teeth is more important than the agent - just as you can take a clean bath with water and a good cleaning. Soap, like toothpaste, makes you feel fresher. Quite frankly, toothpaste only gives you oral gratification. In the old days people used neem leaves, neem sticks, charcoal and sand. Toothpaste is a mild cleanser combined with an abrasive, dye, aroma and sweetener. toothpaste because it is tasty, frothy, striped, what you have. You can use a cigarette or a large patch on the toothbrush (Incidentally, the amount shown in the ads is too large as a lot of foam actually hinders the cleaning) It doesn't matter. It's the quality of the brushing that matters, not the type or quantity of toothpaste. "
The important thing is to use a soft brush in a circular motion from the gums to the teeth, immediately before going to bed and after breakfast. Rinse your mouth thoroughly after each meal and make a habit of using dental floss.A child should be taught to brush his teeth - in imitation of you - without toothpaste. When it is large enough to understand that the toothpaste should not be swallowed, you can use a toothpaste with a delicate flavor, without fluoride, unless the water supply is lacking in fluoride.
A cavity comes from food debris that accumulates on the teeth and attracts acid-producing bacteria. This acid has a hole in the teeth, in which more food debris accumulates. Thus begins a vicious cycle. It is not your toothpaste that strengthens the enamel or fights tooth decay. What makes the trick is proper brushing, rinsing, flossing and a reasonable diet that includes dairy products, meat, legumes, crunchy green vegetables, fibrous foods and chewy fruit. These increase the flow of saliva which keeps the mouth clean by washing away food particles. According to the specialist, saliva also helps neutralize acids and kill bacteria. Again, toothpaste cannot protect the gums; you have to massage them every day with bare fingers.
WHAT IS ABOUT BAD BREATH?Toothpaste will never drive away bad breath, do double duty like a mouthwash or make you kissable. "Halitosis is a complex term and is used vaguely for a bad smell emanating from the mouth," explains the specialist. "An unpleasant odor can result from an infection of the nose, nasal sinuses, throat, lungs or stomach. For example, have you noticed how no amount of brushing will remove the revealing stench of garlic, onions or alcohol? This is because odors from these substances are excreted from the lungs. Similarly, a troubled stomach manifests itself with bad breath. Managers in hidden pressure work often suffer from dry mouth or reduced salivary flow which also causes a foul-smelling mouth. 'halitosis, the doctor must find out the cause; toothpaste can only help to temporarily mask the symptom. Proper brushing and use of dental floss to remove the accumulated plaque and tartar will help. A gingival infection or decayed teeth must be treated by the dentist. "
Toothpastes that are supposed to remove bad stains caused by caffeine or nicotine are extremely harmful. Not only do they eliminate stains, they also consume the protective enamel layer which cannot be reformed since it has no cells. The polishes that have the purpose of making the teeth pearly white contain abrasives and rough acids; continuous use not only removes all traces of enamel, but exposes the inner layer of the teeth (dentin) which is yellow. So if your teeth are blurry, stained or dirty, visit your dentist for cleaning, bleaching or bonding with a resin instead.
A special toothpaste is only necessary in case of extremely sensitive heat, cold, soft or acidic teeth, since the outer layer of the enamel has been corroded. These toothpastes have a formalin, strontium fluoride or potassium nitrate base that helps block nerve endings.
MORE HARMFULBut by far the worst, most harmful, toothpastes on the market are tobacco pastes that disguise themselves as toothpastes and are available for free in your grocery store in your friendly neighborhood - and also in several chemists. They contain nicotine which, in addition to being addictive, has been found carcinogenic by the Cancer Research Center. Dentists complain heavily because some countries suffer from the highest incidence of oral cancers in the world; 40 percent of our cancers are oral.
