Taboos for using toothpaste
First, too much toothpaste may induce oral cancer.
There are several active ingredients in toothpaste that are worrying. Sodium dodecyl sulfate is a chemical widely used in toothpaste, which is considered to cause gastrointestinal diseases and liver poisoning, thus making oral cavity more prone to ulcers and oral cancer. Abrasive in toothpaste is also considered to hurt gums and make them more fragile, so don't over-squeeze when using toothpaste.
Second, improper use of fluoride toothpaste can lead to dental fluorosis.
Nowadays, fluoride toothpaste has been deeply rooted in people's hearts to prevent dental caries. When it comes to oral health care, the first thing that comes to mind must be fluoride toothpaste. However, experts pointed out that although fluoride toothpaste can effectively prevent and treat dental caries, it also has side effects, and improper use will lead to dental fluorosis. The boundary between fluoride's caries prevention function and its toxicity is very small. Excessive intake of fluoride will produce spots on teeth, which is dental fluorosis, and the patients are mostly children. This is because children's swallowing control ability is not perfect, and there are more opportunities to swallow fluoride toothpaste by mistake when brushing their teeth, which leads to an increase in fluoride intake. Because toothpaste generally has no instructions for use and is suitable for people and dosage, adults and children use one kind of toothpaste, and the phenomenon that toothpaste squeezes toothbrushes as shown in TV advertisements appears.
Experts remind consumers that it is best not to exceed 1 cm each time when using fluoride toothpaste, and it is best for children not to use fluoride toothpaste or to use it carefully under the guidance of parents. At the same time, fluorine is a highly toxic substance, and excessive absorption by the human body will cause fluorosis. The state stipulates that the free fluorine in fluoride toothpaste should be between 400~ 1200Pm. It is particularly important to note that children before the age of 3~4 should not use fluoride toothpaste because 1/8~ 1/4 toothpaste may be swallowed by them.
Third, children should not use foam toothpaste.
Children should not use foam toothpaste. Toothpaste can be divided into three types: multi-foam, medium-foam and less-foam, and the amount of foam depends on its soap content. Soap-washed toothpaste contains high soap content, which is easy to stimulate oral mucosa in the mouth.
Fourth, using a single toothpaste in the morning and evening is not good for oral health.
Dental experts suggest that toothpaste products should be used alternately with the changes of seasons and physical conditions, and don't always use products of the same brand or the same effect. In advanced countries in Europe and America, more than 80% consumers have separated the toothpaste they use in the morning and evening, and they also have the habit of checking their teeth regularly. Studies have shown that most oral problems are caused by bacteria, and saliva secreted by human mouth itself has bactericidal function; However, the amount of saliva secreted during the day is 3~4 times that at night, which is easy to inhibit the production of bacteria; However, when people sleep, insufficient secretion of salivary glands and dry mouth will lead to oral acidification and can not inhibit bacterial reproduction, which will lead to various oral problems.
Five, drug toothpaste should not be used for a long time.
At present, many kinds of medicinal toothpastes such as desensitization, anti-inflammation, tooth protection, deodorization and hemostasis have appeared, and their advertisements are overwhelming. Many people regard medicinal toothpaste as a panacea to prevent and treat oral diseases, and it is not appropriate to use it regardless of dental diseases. Bacteria in the oral cavity can be divided into pathogenic bacteria and non-pathogenic bacteria. They restrict each other and maintain the "ecological balance" in the oral cavity.
Long-term use of medicinal toothpaste with strong bactericidal power will not only make the pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity resistant, but also inhibit and kill the normal flora in the oral cavity, destroy the "ecological balance" in the oral cavity and cause new oral diseases and new infections. In addition, some medicine toothpastes contain alkaloids and irritants. If used for a long time, it will not only damage the delicate mucosa in the mouth, but also cause gingivitis, stomatitis, glossitis and so on. Due to long-term continuous stimulation. People with allergic asthma will have asthma and gastrointestinal discomfort because of the pungent smell of drug toothpaste. Some medicinal toothpastes also contain colorants, which will pollute the tooth surface, make the teeth lose luster and affect the beauty of the teeth.
For people with oral diseases, it is best to use fluoride toothpaste and medicinal toothpaste instead. For middle-aged and elderly patients with both dental caries and periodontal disease, it is best to choose fluorine-containing products and Chinese herbal medicine products to be used together in the morning and evening. For patients who are sensitive to cold and hot teeth, it is best to choose anti-acid products with anti-dentin allergy and general fluorine-containing products.
Analysis of main components of toothpaste
The main ingredients of toothpaste include friction agent, cleaning agent, wetting agent, adhesive, preservative, perfume and water. In addition, according to different uses, a certain medicine is added to the medicinal toothpaste.
1, friction agent
Friction agent is the most abundant component in toothpaste (about 25%-60%), which is used to strengthen the friction decontamination ability of toothpaste and polish the tooth surface. The friction agent should have a certain friction effect, but it cannot damage the tooth surface and periodontal tissue, nor can it interact with the drugs in toothpaste. Especially the friction agent of fluoride toothpaste, it is required to be compatible with fluoride ions and keep the activity of fluoride ions. In addition, the fineness and particle shape of the friction agent will affect the quality of the paste.
2. Cleaning agent
Cleaning agent, also known as surfactant, has the function of reducing surface tension, can penetrate and loosen the dirt on the tooth surface, make it emulsified or suspended, and is easily washed off the tooth surface by toothbrush and friction agent, and spit it out with mouthwash. Surfactants can generate foam when brushing teeth, which is convenient for cleaning tooth surfaces. In addition, it has a slight bactericidal effect and good compatibility with friction agents. Excessive use of detergent will obviously reduce the taste of toothpaste.
3. Wetting agent
The main function of wetting agent is to prevent the paste from drying and hardening (especially at the nozzle) and keep the bright appearance of the paste strip; It can also reduce the freezing point of the paste, so that toothpaste can be used normally in cold areas. Wetting agent has a great influence on the colloid part in the paste. Only when the dosage is appropriate can we make an ideal product with good stability and excellent diffusion when brushing teeth.
"suit the remedy to the case", choose the appropriate type of toothpaste.
Anti-inflammatory: Adding some antibacterial drugs to ordinary toothpaste has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, but long-term use can easily lead to imbalance of normal flora in the oral cavity, so it is best to replace toothpaste with other functions after using one tube.
Anti-allergy: Desensitized ingredients, such as fluoride and strontium chloride, are added to toothpaste, but it can only alleviate mild dentin allergy to a certain extent. If it still doesn't work after a while, it will stop.
Desensitization and acid resistance: this toothpaste can form a protective film on the tooth surface, reduce the permeability of tooth hard tissue, improve the buffering effect of tooth tissue, and thus increase the disease prevention ability of periodontal tissue. It should be reminded that you should stop using this toothpaste after the symptoms improve, otherwise it will destroy the microbial ecological balance in the mouth and cause other diseases.
Whitening: This kind of toothpaste contains drugs such as peroxide or hydroxyapatite, which can remove the color of the tooth surface by friction and chemical bleaching, thus whitening the teeth. However, if the friction particles in toothpaste are large and hard, long-term use may lead to tooth wear.
Toothpastes with different effects are best used alternately to avoid tolerance caused by long-term use of a certain toothpaste, which greatly reduces the efficacy.
When buying toothpaste, did you pay attention to the "shelf life"?
Brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste is a very effective way to apply fluoride to the surface of teeth, which helps teeth to resist daily wear.
However, due to the toothpaste itself, the bioavailability of fluoride in toothpaste has been discounted. So, unfortunately, when many people brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste, the fluoride intake in their teeth may not be as much as expected.
One of the simplest and most important factors is time.
After toothpaste is produced, the longer it stays on the shelf, the longer the fluorine contained in it will combine with other components (such as abrasives and foaming agents), which will directly lead to the decrease of effective fluorine content and bioavailability.
The research shows that the bioavailability of fluoride decreases the fastest in the first few months after toothpaste is produced. Before the shelf life of toothpaste is reached, the utilization rate of fluorine may be very low.
Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SLS) will reduce the bioavailability of fluoride.
Therefore, when buying toothpaste, try to avoid choosing toothpaste with sodium dodecyl sulfonate as foaming agent. In addition, we should also consider buying small-capacity toothpaste, so that we can change it frequently. Pay attention to the expiration date and try to buy toothpaste with a shorter date.
This simple trick is helpful for your dental care, especially for friends who are prone to tooth decay.