Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a paste or gel called dentifrice that people use with a toothbrush to clean their teeth. It helps keep our mouths healthy by removing dental plaque and food particles. Toothpaste also fights bad breath, known as halitosis, and contains special ingredients like fluoride that help prevent tooth decay, or dental caries, and gum disease called gingivitis.

Different kinds of toothpaste work in different ways, and not all are the same in helping protect oral health. The big drop in tooth decay during the 1900s is largely thanks to people using toothpaste with fluoride. While toothpaste is safe to use on teeth, eating a lot of it can be harmful. Most toothpastes are white, sometimes with colorful stripes or a green tint, and some are blue.

History

Since 5000 BCE, people have used special mixtures to clean their teeth. The ancient Egyptians made a tooth powder from ashes of ox hooves, pumice, eggshells, and myrrh. Later, the Greeks and Romans added crushed bones and oyster shells to their recipes. In the 9th century, a musician named Ziryab invented a toothpaste in Islamic Spain, though we don’t know exactly what was in it.

In the 1800s, many people used tooth powders made from chalk, brick, or salt. The Colgate company began making aromatic toothpaste in jars in 1873. By 1900, pastes with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda were recommended. The first toothpaste with disinfectants was called Kolynos, developed by Willoughby D. Miller and Newell Sill Jenkins. In 1908, Jenkins’ son introduced the first toothpaste tubes. Fluoride was added to toothpaste in the 1890s, and in 1955, Crest became the first fluoride toothpaste approved by the American Dental Association.

Usefulness

Toothpastes help keep our teeth and gums healthy. Those with fluoride are especially good at stopping cavities. Even though brushing alone can remove plaque, using toothpaste with special ingredients helps prevent tooth and gum problems when used regularly.

Ingredients

Toothpastes are made from several key ingredients, mainly abrasives, fluoride, and detergents. Abrasives, which make up 8-20% of toothpaste, help remove plaque and prevent gum disease. Common abrasives include particles of aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and silica. After the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, microbeads are no longer used in toothpaste in the US.

Fluoride is a crucial ingredient in toothpaste that helps prevent cavities. It is found in small amounts in plants, animals, and some natural water sources. Sodium fluoride is the most common source, but stannous fluoride and sodium monofluorophosphate are also used. Fluoride helps strengthen tooth enamel and protect against tooth decay. Different countries have different levels of fluoride in their toothpaste, but all effective levels help prevent cavities.

Toothpastes also contain surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, which create foam and help spread the toothpaste evenly. Other ingredients include antibacterial agents like triclosan and flavorants such as peppermint, spearmint, and wintergreen to make the toothpaste more pleasant to use. Additional components like remineralizing agents help strengthen tooth enamel and reduce sensitivity.

Main article: Fluoride therapy

Safety

Fluoride in toothpaste is safe for everyone, but it can be harmful if swallowed in large amounts. Young children should only use a small amount to avoid any risks. It's important to supervise kids while brushing to prevent them from swallowing too much toothpaste.

Some toothpastes contain ingredients like triclosan or polyethylene glycol, which have been studied for possible side effects. While most toothpastes are safe to use, it's good to be aware of any personal sensitivities. For example, some people may experience irritation from certain ingredients and might prefer to choose a different type of toothpaste.

Government regulation

In the United States, toothpaste is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a cosmetic, except for ingredients like fluoride, which are treated as drugs. Drugs need scientific studies and approval from the FDA to be sold, while most cosmetic ingredients do not need pre-approval, except for color additives. The FDA sets rules for labeling and bans some ingredients.

Striped toothpaste

Striped toothpaste was invented by Leonard Marraffino in 1955. It was first sold by Unilever under the Stripe brand in the early 1960s, followed by the Signal brand in Europe in 1965. The design uses two colors of toothpaste that stay separate until squeezed out of the tube.

Later, Colgate-Palmolive developed ways to create stripes with different colors and even mix them directly into the tube. This type of toothpaste is different from layered toothpaste, which needs a more complicated tube design. The fun shape of toothpaste on a toothbrush is sometimes called a "nurdle".

Dispensing

Main article: Tube (container)

Toothpaste is usually dispensed from a collapsible tube or a pump. In 1880, Doctor Washington Sheffield of New London, CT created the first toothpaste in a tube, called Dr. Sheffield's Creme Dentifrice, after seeing painters in Paris use paint from tubes. Later, in 1896, Colgate-Palmolive began packaging their toothpaste in similar tubes, though the early tubes were made from lead.