Choosing A Whitening Toothpaste In Mississauga

If you think back about your last visit to select toothpaste, you probably remember the vast amount of options available. The task can seem daunting if you do not know what you are looking for first. Follow these tips to help narrow your choices down and to help keep your smile looking great!

Whitening Toothpaste Selection Criteria

Selecting a good whitening toothpaste will depend on a few factors to ensure that you get a great result and protect your teeth at the same time.

When selecting a whitening toothpaste, taking a look at the ingredients is vital. Look for toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride strengthens the tooth’s enamel and makes it resistant to acids from food and drinks.

It is also important to look for a toothpaste that has a seal of approval from a recognised dental association. The seal verifies that the toothpaste performs properly and will not harm teeth.

Whitening toothpaste that promotes whitening as its main benefit will contain abrasives. Abrasives in the whitening toothpaste are what is responsible for removing the surface stains. Individual toothpaste brands may contain more abrasives than others. The size of the abrasive will vary between brands as well. The smaller and softer the abrasive, the better for the health of your teeth. Using toothpaste with harsh abrasives will erode and thin out the tooth’s enamel with prolonged use. Thin or eroded enamel will result in sensitivity to cold foods, or to changes in temperature.

Fortunately, a scale exists with which you can gauge a toothpaste’s abrasive quality. It is the RDA (relative dentin abrasiveness). Most toothpaste manufacturers do not list this on the packaging. You will have to contact them to get the RDA for the product you intend to buy.

RDA Scale

0 – 70 low abrasive
70 – 100 medium abrasive
100 – 150 highly abrasive
150 – 250 harmful

For a list of known RDA values for known toothpaste brands, check out this list. Please note that these values may change as the toothpaste formulation changes. Contact the manufacturer for the most recent RDA value.

Source: www.preserveyourteeth.com

Teeth Whitening Considerations

When whitening teeth, always remember that the stain did not appear overnight. It took time for the stain to accumulate on the surface of the teeth. The same approach should be taken when using a whitening toothpaste. Continuous use for at least a few weeks will be necessary to see changes in tooth colour.

If you do not see noticeable results with regular use of your whitening toothpaste, talk to your dentist. They can recommend other treatment options that can give you better results without putting your enamel at risk of damage from abrasives.