Choosing the right toothpaste

Consumers are often provided with too many choices when buying toothpaste, which plays a key role in our oral health. It is easy to get confused when we see toothpaste from different brands with various features, some of which we might not need.

For the general public, it’s safe to choose a fluoride toothpaste from a reliable brand, which is the No. 1 option for around 70% of the population, specially in areas where fluoride is low in the water. According to research, brushing the teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day can effectively reduce the risk of tooth dacay by 40%. However, children before school age should be cautious when using it to avoid accidentally swallowing, which may lead to fluoride poisoning.

It is a common myth that using more toothpaste will result in better cleaning. In fact, we only need toothpaste of the size of a bean each time. Not only is it wasteful, using and possible swallowing too much fluoride in the toothpaste will cause dental fluorosis.

Many people like to wet the toothpaste before brushing. Experts suggest that the water would form lots of bubbles to create an illusion that your teeth has been cleaned. However, the effectiveness of the brushing depends on the cleaning chemicals in the toothpaste and the physical rubbing on the teeth rather than bubbles.The longer and more carefully you brush, the better the cleaning results.