What should be considered when choosing whitening toothpaste? Experts warn: The amount of corrosive content in toothpastes should be kept at a safe level so that the teeth are not damaged!
Restorative Dental Treatment Departments explained the curiosities about whitening toothpastes.
The primary purpose of today’s aesthetic dentistry is to achieve a healthy, white and more attractive smile. In many studies in recent years, it has been noted that the majority of patients are not satisfied with the color of their teeth and have a desire for whiter teeth. This has also increased the demand for teeth whitening products. In order to obtain whiter teeth in dentistry; Many different methods are used such as dental stone cleaning, office and home whitening treatments, porcelain laminas and veneers and whitening toothpastes.
Whitening products used outside of dentist’s advice may be risky
Today, it is seen that there is a significant increase in the use of over the counter. Over the counter (OTC) products; it is a whitening method made with the products that patients use by purchasing from grocery stores and pharmacies without the control of the dentist.
For this purpose; whitening tapes, toothpastes, floss, mouthwashes, gums and varnishes are used. Although some of the products used for this purpose are effective, the use of these products can sometimes cause problems because they are out of the control of the dentist.
Whitening toothpastes are relatively reliable products within OTC. With whitening toothpastes and different formulations in its content, both effective cleaning and effective whiteness are expected. According to the content of whitening toothpastes; a corrosive ingredients, chemical whitening agent ingredients, optical ones and activated carbon content are classified as.
How do whitening toothpaste work?
Toothpastes containing abraziv particles are often used to remove external coloration and prevent re-formation. The daily use of pastes with abraziv content removes the chromophores that cause tooth coloring, reducing adhesion to the tooth surface and thus coloring.
They stated that as the abraziv particles in the paste content grow in size, so will the a corrosive and stain remover effectiveness. Whitening toothpastes with chemical content prevent coloration by chemically changing the pigments that color the teeth. Optical whitening toothpastes act thanks to pigment contents such as “blue covarin”.
After brushing; a blue, thin, semi-transparent film layer accumulates on the surface of the tooth. With this thin film layer and light interaction, the teeth look whiter and brighter. Recently, whitening toothpastes with activated carbon content are also frequently used. Coal in toothpastes introduced to the market today is a fine form of powder of oxidized activated charcoal.
As well as products containing fluoride, there are also activated carbon-containing whitening toothpastes that do not contain fluorine. The inactivating effect of coal on fluorine and its anti-caries effectiveness should be investigated.
Scientific studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of toothpastes with activated carbon content. In the literature, it is stated that the addition of abrasive content such as hydrate silica to toothpastes containing chemical agents increases the whitening effectiveness.
Corrosive feature in whitening toothpaste must be kept safe!
Relative Dentine Abrasivity (RDA) is used to indicate the abrasion of toothpastes. A corrosive content is important for removing stains and removing coloring.
However, the amount of corrosive content in toothpastes should be kept at a safe level so that the teeth are not damaged. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) has stated that the value of toothpaste RDA should not exceed 250. The RDA value of whitening toothpastes varies between 60-100 (16) or higher than 100.
What kind whitening toothpaste should you prefer?
Today, dentists recommend toothpastes with low RDA value and minimal abrasive properties to their patients. It is stated that toothpastes with low adhesive will be less effective in removing coloring. However, when evaluating the anti-coloring (whitening) effect of toothpastes, it is necessary to evaluate not only adhesiveness, but also the entire content of the paste together.