Is it really a problem to brush your teeth with the same toothpaste for a long time?

This is the 3634th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

There is a common saying on the Internet: Toothpaste should be changed regularly, otherwise it is likely to cause oral flora imbalance or make oral bacteria resistant. So the question is, does toothpaste contain antibacterial ingredients? Is it really harmful to not change toothpaste?

Are there antibacterial ingredients in toothpaste?

The answer is yes. But usually not for the purpose of preventing or treating dental disease.

As the golden partner of toothbrushes, the most fundamental function of toothpaste is to cooperate with toothbrushes to complete tooth cleaning - removing dental plaque and food residues. Therefore, the protagonist in toothpaste is abrasives (content is 20% to 60%). Other ingredients, such as detergents, moisturizers, adhesives, fragrances, preservatives and water, exist to cooperate with the protagonist. For example, without the help of adhesives, abrasives can only be "a pile of loose sand".

It goes without saying that preservatives are the most important antibacterial ingredient in toothpaste. Their existence is to prevent the toothpaste itself from deteriorating, because the moisturizers and adhesives in toothpaste are ingredients that need to be preserved.

In addition to preservatives, detergents and fragrances may also have certain antibacterial effects, but this is not the fundamental reason for their existence.

In general, the effect of toothpaste on oral bacteria lies more in its physical cleaning effect on bacteria rather than its direct killing or inhibition effect. Even if it contains antibacterial ingredients, it is mainly to prevent the growth of bacteria in the toothpaste itself.

Antibacterial toothpaste is a functional toothpaste

The toothpaste ingredients mentioned above reflect the basic composition of ordinary toothpaste. In fact, toothpaste can be divided into two categories based on its function: ordinary toothpaste and functional toothpaste.

The so-called functional toothpaste is a toothpaste made by adding other ingredients with corresponding functions to ordinary toothpaste. Therefore, it can be divided into different types such as fluoride toothpaste, antibacterial toothpaste, anti-sensitive toothpaste, whitening toothpaste, and Chinese herbal toothpaste. Among them, antibacterial toothpaste may contain antibacterial ingredients such as triclosan, cebichloramine or chlorhexidine, which do have the effect of fighting dental plaque and reducing gingival inflammation. It is a toothpaste with real antibacterial effect. Of course, its long-term effect (whether it will cause oral flora imbalance or make oral bacteria resistant) is also worthy of attention. The antibacterial effect of Chinese herbal toothpaste has only been confirmed by experimental studies and lacks clinical evidence support, so it is not very certain.

Among the many types of functional toothpastes, the most popular one is fluoride toothpaste, whose effectiveness and safety have been confirmed. For most people, fluoride toothpaste is a more reliable choice.

Brushing your teeth carefully is the hard truth

Based on the above facts, the statement that toothpaste needs to be replaced regularly is not accurate. First, if you use toothpaste other than antibacterial toothpaste, it will not cause oral flora imbalance or oral bacteria to develop drug resistance, so there is no need to replace it regularly; second, if you use antibacterial toothpaste and plan to continue using it, there are not many types of toothpaste to choose from (not looking at the brand, but looking at the antibacterial ingredients), and even if you change it regularly, it may not be able to really avoid side effects; finally, if you are really worried that antibacterial toothpaste may have side effects, just give up antibacterial toothpaste. After all, relying on toothpaste to prevent and treat diseases is always a drop in the bucket.

Instead of worrying about choosing toothpaste, it is better to brush your teeth carefully. Don’t you think so?

Author: Shanghai Health and Health Development Research Center

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