Get to know the ingredients in toothpaste and their functions • Hello Sehat

Toothpaste has become a daily necessity that must be purchased when shopping at the supermarket. Every day, use toothpaste at least twice to clean teeth. Toothpaste has many flavors and is also sold in various specific functions, such as toothpaste with the function of whitening teeth, cleaning and protecting teeth from bacteria, making the mouth feel fresh all day long, preventing cavities, and many more.

Actually, what is the content in toothpaste that is very beneficial for teeth?

Contents in toothpaste

Some of the ingredients in toothpaste are:

Abrasive agent. Is a crude material, such as calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, and magnesium tricilicate. Abrasive agents work to help repel food debris, bacteria, and some stains on the teeth.
Taste. Artificial sweeteners, including saccharin which are often added to toothpaste to make it taste better. Toothpaste taste is usually a mixture of several components. Toothpaste comes in many flavors, such as mint, lemon-lime, and even chewing gum and fruit flavors (for kids). The majority of people prefer toothpaste that has a minty taste that leaves the mouth feeling fresh and clean, even if it’s only for a few minutes. This sensation usually arises because of the flavorings and detergents in toothpaste which cause slight irritation of the oral mucosa.
Dye. Also added to toothpastes, such as titanium dioxide for white pastes and various food coloring for colored pastes or gels.
Humectant. It is used in toothpaste to prevent loss of water in toothpaste so that it does not become hard when exposed to air when opened. The most commonly used humectants are glycerol and sorbitol. Sorbitol in large doses can cause diarrhea because it acts as an osmotic laxative. The FAO / WHO recommends that sorbitol be limited to 150 mg / kg / day. Therefore, the use of 60-70% toothpaste containing sorbitol by young children should be supervised by parents.
Binder. The binder is a hydrophilic colloid that binds water and is used to stabilize toothpaste formulations by preventing the separation of the solid and liquid phases. Examples of binders used are natural rubber (karaya and tragakan), seaweed colloids (alginate and carrageenan rubber), and synthetic cellulose (carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose).
Detergent. Detergents, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, create foam when you brush your teeth. Detergent helps remove plaque buildup and emulsion on teeth.

One more very important toothpaste content is fluoride.

What is the function of fluoride in toothpaste?

Fluoride is very important for dental health because the use of fluoride in toothpaste can reduce the risk of dental caries. As reported from dentalhealth, the decrease in the prevalence of dental caries recorded in developed countries during the last 30 years can be attributed to the widespread use of toothpaste containing fluoride. Today, many toothpastes contain 0.1% (1000 ppm) fluoride, usually in the form of sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP). 100 g of toothpaste contains 0.76 g of MFP (equivalent to 0.1 g of fluoride).

Bacteria in the mouth live on sugars and starches that stick to teeth after eating. Fluoride helps protect teeth from acids released by bacteria when they eat these sugars and starches. This is done in two ways. First, fluoride makes tooth enamel stronger, making it less likely to cause tooth decay due to the acid released by bacteria. Second, fluoride can re-mineralize areas of teeth that have started to decay so that tooth decay does not occur quickly.

What happens if there is too much fluoride?

The fluoride content that exceeds the limit in toothpaste can also damage teeth. Tooth decay that is caused by the teeth being exposed to very high levels of fluoride is called fluorosis. Fluorosis usually occurs in children. Fluorosis occurs because a child’s teeth are exposed to high fluoride in toothpaste when a child is 8 years old where new permanent teeth begin to grow.

Another thing that can cause fluorosis in children is because the child deliberately swallows toothpaste. Maybe because it tastes good like candy so they think they want to eat it. The impact of fluorosis is that the color of the child’s teeth changes, it can be darker in color ranging from yellow to brown or the presence of white marks / spots on the teeth.

Choosing toothpaste for children

Choose the right toothpaste for your child, which is a special toothpaste for children. Usually toothpaste for pregnant children fluoride which is lower than normal toothpaste, which is less than 600 ppm. However, the selection of toothpaste containing fluoride very low, that is 250 ppm, is considered less effective in preventing caries in permanent teeth.

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