What is the difference between toothpaste that costs a few yuan and toothpaste that costs dozens of yuan? Are those magical effects real?

Audit expert: Lu Bin

Deputy Chief Physician and Associate Professor of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatological Hospital of Air Force Medical University "Healthy Teeth and Whitening", "Removing Heat and Protecting Gum", "Fresh Breath", with the development of technology, toothpaste has been given more functions. There are many kinds of toothpaste on the market, and the prices range from a few yuan to dozens of yuan.

Toothpaste shelf in supermarket

Source: Gao Yifan

So, what is the difference between them? How to choose the toothpaste that suits you?

Two types of toothpaste

Although there are many types of toothpaste, they can be divided into two categories: ordinary cleaning toothpaste and functional toothpaste according to their added ingredients.

The ingredients of ordinary toothpaste generally include basic ingredients such as abrasives, surfactants, stabilizers, moisturizers, preservatives, fragrances, sweeteners, etc., which ensure that the toothpaste is delicate and gentle, easy to foam, and has cleaning functions.

Source｜Editor's own

In addition to these common ingredients, functional toothpastes also contain chemical ingredients such as fluoride to prevent caries, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, analgesic and blood coagulation, and whitening to prevent or alleviate certain oral problems and promote oral health.

Source: National Health Commission official website

Among all toothpastes, abrasives are the most noteworthy. They physically remove stubborn stains on the tooth surface and polish the tooth surface through the mechanical friction of the toothbrush. The abrasive component can account for 30%-50% of the weight of a tube of toothpaste. Therefore, the quality of the abrasive in a tube of toothpaste is directly related to the health of our teeth.

Cheap toothpaste often uses calcium carbonate as an abrasive. It has coarse particles and can easily remove stains on the surface of teeth, but it can also easily damage the enamel on the surface of teeth.

Source: A certain brand of toothpaste

Better quality toothpastes use fine-grained calcium hydrogen phosphate or hydrated silica as abrasives. They have a mild and delicate taste, are less likely to damage teeth, and are a safer choice.

Source: A certain brand of toothpaste

Generally speaking, all toothpastes that meet national standards contain the same ingredients as ordinary toothpastes, and the prices are similar in this respect. If you only pursue the most basic cleaning function of toothpaste, then a cheap ordinary toothpaste is really enough. But if you want to relieve oral problems, you have to choose a toothpaste carefully.

Special effects and additives of toothpaste

Most of the toothpastes on the market that cost dozens or even hundreds of dollars are added with ingredients with special effects.

According to the standards in the "Toothpaste Efficacy Evaluation" issued in 2010, toothpaste efficacy can be divided into three categories: anti-caries, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, and anti-dentin sensitivity.

Fluoride is often added to toothpaste with anti-caries effect. When brushing teeth, fluoride can release fluoride ions. Fluoride ions can replace the hydroxyl groups in hydroxyapatite in the mouth to form harder fluoroapatite, which adheres to the surface of teeth, making teeth stronger and preventing tooth decay.

So next time you choose toothpaste, be sure to pay attention to whether the ingredient list contains fluoride. Generally, it is better to choose fluoride toothpaste after the age of 6.

Source: Gao Yifan

Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial ingredients are generally trichlorohydroxyphenyl ether (PVM/MA), zinc citrate, tocopherol and other substances, which are used to treat oral problems such as bad breath and inflammation. Some toothpastes even add prescription drugs such as tranexamic acid and cetylpyridinium chloride to relieve gum bleeding and inhibit plaque activity.

However, as a prescription drug, it requires the permission of a physician. Using this type of toothpaste without authorization may cover up more serious periodontal problems. Therefore, if there is bleeding or inflammation, it is recommended to see a doctor as soon as possible and follow the doctor's advice.

Finally, there is the anti-sensitive ingredient, which mainly plays a role in pain relief and repair.

Substances such as potassium nitrate and domiphene act on the dental pulp nerves, relieve external stimulation, and play an analgesic role. Strontium salts and calcium salts act on the dentinal tubules, blocking external stimulation and reducing the penetration of some irritating ingredients in food into the tooth tissue, thereby reducing tooth sensitivity. If you have oral problems such as sore teeth and don't want to go to the dentist for repairs, buying toothpaste containing these ingredients is a good choice.

Source: A shopping website

If you often use the same functional toothpaste, it is recommended to change it regularly to avoid drug resistance. If it is only a toothpaste with cleaning function, it is not necessary, after all, there is no prescription drug added in it.

Is whitening toothpaste a waste of money?

We are all familiar with the whitening effect, but can it really make teeth whiter? Whitening toothpaste contains whitening agents, which soften stains and turn the insoluble components in the plaque into soluble components, thus helping the stains to fall off. However, this ingredient is only effective for exogenous stains caused by food and bacteria (such as smoking, drinking strong tea, coffee, etc.). It is powerless for endogenous stains caused by genetics, diseases, etc.

Source: A certain brand of toothpaste

To address endogenous staining of dental plaque, some toothpastes add colorants. The colorants will adhere to the surface of your teeth while you brush your teeth, and you may feel that your teeth are getting whiter. However, the colorants will fall off after you eat or drink, so it is not worth spending a lot of money on this short-term effect.

Source: hippopx

We often see some toothpastes with added enzymes, probiotics, and Chinese herbal medicines on the market. The Ministry of Health has not given clear evaluation standards for these ingredients, so what is the added content of these magical ingredients in the market? What is the effect? ​​People still need to do follow-up research. But the only thing that can be confirmed is that this kind of toothpaste will definitely be more expensive!