Best Toothpaste

Fluoride is a topic that has been talked about for years. Some people are in favor of fluoride being in water supplies and some people consider the best toothpaste the one with fluoride. Fluoride has good properties like reducing tooth decay, strengthening tooth enamel, and reducing cavities. The percentage of people who are against fluoride have opted for the usage of baking soda when it comes to brushing their teeth. Is substituting baking soda as healthy as you think? Here is a comparison of the two:

What Is Fluoride?

 Fluoride is a common mineral that can be found in the Earth’s crust as well as your water supply. Fluoride occurs naturally in all of our water sources. Back in the 1930s, various researchers have proven that people who drink water with fluoride in it have lesser cavities (two thirds to be exact) than those who did not drink fluoridated water. Fluoride plays a part in keeping our teeth healthy by strengthening our teeth’s enamel, reduces cavities in adults and children, and reduces tooth decay.

How Does Fluoride Work?

How does fluoride help to prevent cavities and keep your teeth in good health? It hardens tooth enamel before and after they emerge. For example, fluoride works to strengthen tooth enamel in the teething stages when our teeth are emerging from the gums. This can be the case with a teething baby or adult teeth. Another way that fluoride works are that the consumption of fluoride restores calcium and phosphorous which are compounds that are used to harden teeth.

What are the benefits of fluoride?

Fluoride is beneficial because it prevents tooth decay and protects us from cavities no matter what age you are. Fluoride is beneficial when you save money not having to visit the dentist’s office often due to lots of dental issues that are bound to occur when fluoride is not present. Fluoridation found in water can save $39 billion dollars in dental care costs in a 10-year span. This research was conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. With this research in mind, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention approved the presence of fluoride. Despite any negative concerns that have been brought up by those who do not approve of fluoride, fluoride is an essential part of healthy dentistry and oral care practice. Fluoride does not cause Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, or lower IQ. As a matter of fact, these ailments are not associated with fluoride or its effects.

What are the disadvantages of fluoride?

There is such a thing as too much fluoride. Too much fluoride is called dental fluorosis. The rare cases in the U.S. are mild and do not affect health in any way. There is no pain involved and teeth function normally. Dental fluorosis appears mostly in children when they swallow too much fluoride toothpaste. It is important to watch children while they brush their teeth to ensure spitting when appropriate. Dental fluorosis only leads to discoloration of the tooth enamel which can be corrected. An argument amongst those who are against fluoride is that it is unethical for the government to keep fluoride in the water supply without giving citizens a choice.

Baking soda is widely known in the realm of home remedies to be able to cure almost any ailment which makes it seem like a safe option to use as a substitute for fluoride. Is it really meant to be a substitute? Although the taste alone may not be as pleasant as regular toothpaste it does have some important benefits. Baking soda can be found in many toothpaste formulas, but regular people brush their teeth with baking soda by itself. Let’s take a deeper look at baking soda’s properties.

What is Baking Soda?

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate. There are chemical compounds in baking soda that create a mild abrasiveness. This abrasive compound makes it ideal for cleaning surface stains from teeth and allowing teeth to become whiter. You may have heard of using baking soda in baked goods. Although baking soda has permanently left its mark in the cooking and home remedy department, it has many uses like teeth whitening. As a common household item that we all have access to you may be wondering how does it help whiten teeth?

How Does baking soda work?

Simply mix an equal part of baking soda and water and apply it to your toothbrush. You brush your teeth like you normally do. This same mixture can be used as a mouthwash to help rinse and clean your mouth when swished. It does a great job of cleaning your mouth but if you are searching for a way to remove deeper, difficult to remove stains on your teeth you should see your dentist.

What are the benefits of baking soda?

Baking soda really does its job of cleaning teeth which is a real advantage when it comes to oral health care. Using baking soda, when used habitually, can produce results that make your teeth feel cleaner, fresher, and whiter. When baking soda is used with whitener products, it causes plaque to be removed. When plaque is removed from teeth it sets the stage for fresher breath and reduces tooth decay. The best benefit that baking soda offers is its affordability. It is so inexpensive. Just a single box of baking soda can last for a long time.

What are the disadvantages of baking soda?

Sometimes the using baking soda in your dental routine can be messy. After all, you have to do the mixing yourself especially if you brush your teeth with baking soda. You have to get the mixture of baking soda and water right in order to create a paste. Transferring it to your toothbrush is also messy. Once you have transferred the paste onto your toothbrush you brush your teeth with a substance that has an unpleasant taste if you decided not to opt for a dental product that does not include baking soda. Baking soda is an abrasive compound, so the mixture will feel gritty. This may cause an unpleasant sensation in the mouth. It is not approved by the American Dental Association like fluoride is. The most important aspect is that baking soda does not provide the re-mineralization to your teeth and it will not protect your teeth against cavities. You simply need fluoride for this job.