The one about… FLUORIDE
If you follow your dentists advice, then you are most likely using toothpaste at least twice a day when brushing your teeth. No matter if you’re using a “manual” toothbrush or an electric one, you probably never spent much thought on the stuff you’re squeezing onto it.
Don’t worry about it, because I did look into it for you and recently made a whole Youtube video about it (see below and check it out if you haven’t seen it yet 😉). During my research for that video, I stumbled upon a few fun things about toothpaste, that didn’t really fit into the video but are too good to not share with you! So grab a cup of coffee ☕ and here we go:
5 Fun Facts about TOOTHPASTE:
1 - TOOTHPASTE is ancient
The first “toothpaste” was made in 5000 BC by ancient Egyptians.
The first recipe for toothpaste was found in archeological research of ancient Egypt. In 5000 BC, before the invention of the toothbrush, ancient Egyptians used ashes made from a burning mixture of ox hooves, myrrh, powdered eggshells, and pumice. The mixture was more of a tooth powder than a paste, nevertheless, the Egyptians used it to clean the surface of their teeth.
Tooth powder was popular for a long period of time before toothpaste was invented. In fact, tooth powder was used throughout the 19th century. It wasn’t until the turn of the century that toothpaste became more popular than tooth powder. However some places, like India, still use tooth powder.
The first modern toothpaste was produced in 1780. Crest created its first toothpaste in the United States in 1955 and Colgate preceded it with a toothpaste coming out in 1873.
2 - The first TOOTHBRUSH came from China
The first toothbrush invented that had bristles was produced in China in the 15th Century.
The brushes were fabricated from bone and bamboo and the bristles came from hairs picked from a hog’s neck. The first nylon toothbrush with bristles was invented in 1938, leading to a modern obsession with oral health and hygiene.
By the way, the International Toothbrush Day is celebrated on June 26th every year. Mark it in your calendar!
3 - TOOTHPASTE still contains EGGSHELLS - sort of…
The part of toothpaste that does the work of wearing away plaque and food particles from the teeth is known as the abrasive. It is commonly made from Calcium Carbonate - the same material eggshells consist of.
The abrasives in toothpaste work with your toothbrush to remove debris and stains from the teeth. There are different types of abrasives used in toothpaste, including: calcium carbonate, hydrated aluminum oxides, dehydrated silica gels, magnesium carbonate, phosphate salts, and silicates.
All toothpastes are assigned a “relative dentin abrasivity” (RDA) value. This number represents how abrasive the toothpaste is to the tooth enamel. For example, brushing with water has an RDA score of 4 and brushing with baking soda has an RDA score of 7. An RDA score of 0-70 is considered to be low abrasive, 70-100 is medium abrasive, 100-150 is highly abrasive, and 150-250 is considered harmfully abrasive. The American Dental Association only places acceptance seals on toothpastes that have an RDA score of 250 or less.
There are specialized toothpastes that contain additional ingredients for specific purposes. For example, whitening toothpaste may contain hydrogen and carbamide peroxides in order to reduce intrinsic staining, as well as to remove external stains. Desensitizing toothpaste is another specialized toothpaste that uses ingredients such as potassium nitrate or strontium chloride to reduce tooth sensitivity. Some toothpaste offers additional tartar protection by using pyrophosphates or zinc citrate to prevent the accumulation of tartar.
By the way, toothpaste does not contain sugar. Despite the fact that toothpaste can come in a variety of flavors, none of these flavors are produced with the use of sugar. Instead, sweetening agents like saccharin or sorbitol are used to give toothpaste its flavor. However, they often contain seaweed. Seaweed functions as a thickening agent and it stabilizes toothpaste so it can be squeezed from a tube.
4 - When should you brush your TEETH?
Timing is everything when it comes to toothbrushing! And it depends on your food and drink choices too.
Your alarm clock goes off and you rise from bed with morning breath. Do you brush now, before your breakfast and coffee? Or wait until after? Common sense tells you that brushing after is the way to go, in order to remove all the gunk from your breakfast, but time is actually an important factor here, and so is your meal. If you’re consuming food or drink that it very acidic (Orange juice, I’m looking at you), it’s important to wait at least 30 minutes before you brush your teeth to avoid damaging the teeth’s enamel.
Similarly, you should brush your teeth not directly after your dinner, but best straight before you go to bed. Your mouth produces less saliva at night, so brushing before bed will help remove the cavity-causing bacteria that saliva usually washes away.
5 - How about MOUTHWASH?
Mouthwash is a great addition in the fight against tooth decay. But here as well, the timing is important!
And never rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth!
Using a mouthwash that contains fluoride can help prevent tooth decay, but don't use mouthwash (even a fluoride one) straight after brushing your teeth or it'll wash away the concentrated fluoride in the toothpaste left on your teeth. Choose a different time to use mouthwash, such as after flossing but before brushing your teeth or after eating food. If you use fluoride containing mouthwash, try to not eat or drink for 30 minutes afterwards.
Similarly, you shouldn’t rinse your mouth with water after brushing. After brushing your teeth with fluoride containing toothpaste, spit out any excess toothpaste. Don't rinse your mouth immediately after brushing, as it'll wash away the concentrated fluoride in the remaining toothpaste. This dilutes it and reduces its preventative effects.
Let’s bust some myths - shall we?
Since fluoridation became widespread in Australia in the 1970s, rates of tooth decay in children have approximately halved. Fluoride is added to water at safe levels for human consumption, determined by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to be between 0.6mg and 1.1mg per litre.
Despite these safety measures, and its benefits to oral health, fluoridation continues to be controversial among a minority, who tend to back up their claims with selective 'evidence' that is inconclusive or erroneous. Following are some of the common claims against fluoride and why they are false.
Myth #1 - Fluoride causes cancer!
Fluoridation has been mistakenly linked to cancer risk since the publication of a 1990 study that observed a higher incidence of a rare form of bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in male rats exposed to high doses of fluoride. These results have not been replicated since, and like many such studies, they involved a concentration of fluoride much higher than that found in municipal water supplies. Multiple reviews across the decades in many countries have concluded that there is no conclusive evidence that drinking fluoridated water causes cancer.
In Australia, the most recent systematic review of fluoride studies was conducted in 2017 by the NHMRC. The council did not find any link between fluoridation and cancer and recommended that fluoridation should continue.
In fact, people who don't receive enough fluoride from toothpaste, tap water and other sources could be at higher risk of another type of cancer, as there is growing evidence that poor oral hygiene may be a risk factor for developing oral cancer.
Myth #2 - Water fluoridation lowers IQ!
The 2017 NHMRC review also dismissed studies that claim to demonstrate a link between drinking fluoridated water and a decrease in IQ or cognitive function. These studies were found to be of limited quality and not relevant to the Australian context. The only study determined to be of high quality and relevance was a 2014 study that found no link between fluoridation and IQ.
Studies that claim to show such a link are often not peer-reviewed and ignore a number of factors that make their findings unreliable. Many come from deprived regions of China, India and Mexico and fail to account for exposure to other potentially hazardous substances such as arsenic or contaminated grain. Many are also based around concentrations of fluoride that are several times higher than that found in drinking water supplies in Australia.
Myth #3 - Fluoride damages teeth!
The only recognised negative effect of drinking fluoridated water is a minor risk of fluorosis. This is a rare condition that can affect children whose teeth are still developing, and involves the appearance of white lines on tooth surfaces. However, as a cosmetic issue, it does not affect the health or function of teeth. The 2017 NHMRC review found that fluoridation may be linked to a slightly higher risk of mild fluorosis, but that there is no statistical difference in more severe fluorosis occurring in fluoridated or non-fluoridated areas.
What's more, dental fluorosis has actually declined over time. This may be thanks to the launch of low-fluoride children's toothpastes and improved awareness about the right amount of toothpaste to use, meaning young children today are exposed to less fluoride than those of previous generations. Rather than damaging teeth, fluoride in drinking water is a safe and cost-effective way of improving oral health and lowering the rate of tooth decay and other dental problems in communities.
Got more fun facts about toothpaste? Found more common misbeliefs associated with fluoride?
Leave them in the comments below and start a conversation 😊
And as always: Stay Sciency 👩🔬
