Toothpaste: The Secret to Shiny White Teeth

       Everyone wants their teeth to be white and shiny. Don’t you? In order to get shiny white teeth, we must brush our teeth with toothpaste at least twice a day. But, have you ever wondered what the contents of toothpaste are? Reading the food label on a food package is quite common. However, there is only a small number of people who actually read the label on the toothpaste container.

Various brands of toothpaste available in the market.

        Toothpaste is a paste used with a toothbrush to promote oral hygiene. The common ingredients in some of the major toothpaste brands are water, sodium fluoride, triclosan, hydrated silica, glycerin, sorbitol, PVM/MA copolymer, flavour, sodium lauryl sulfate, cellulose gum, sodium hydroxide, propylene glycol, carrageenan, sodium saccharin, FD&C blue no. 1 and D&C yellow no. 10.

       Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium laurilsulfate, is an organic compound with the chemical formula, CH₃(CH₂)₁₁OSO₃Na. This organic compound is mainly used in cleaning and hygiene products such as laundry detergents, shampoos, bath salts and liquid hand soaps. It is used in toothpaste as it is a highly effective surfactant that is able to remove oily stains and residues. For your information, the use of sodium lauryl sulfate is to make the toothpaste lather in our mouth. In other words, it is used as the detergent part of the toothpaste.

      However, the research studies on sodium lauryl sulfate found that it can cause canker sores due to its ability to dry out our mouth. It can also cause damage to the oral tissues lining inside our mouth. These tissues are said to be providing food for bacteria as they feed the bacteria that create Halitosis and taste disorder when they shed.

      Thus, it is important to read the label on the toothpaste container in order to find toothpaste and other mouthwash products that will not harm us. You can also get to learn more about the types of chemicals as well as organic chemicals that are found in health-related products.