ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT ONE?
There are many toothpaste in the market promising to make your teeth fresher, whiter and cavity-free. But how to make your choice wisely?To help you pick wisely, AskDentistMY will tell you what ingredients to look for, whether gel or paste formulas are right for you and just how much you need to squeeze onto your brush. It’s never too late to get your teeth sparkling shine, so read on to find out how!
1. It’s all about the fluoride.
Research has found that brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice daily can reduce tooth decay by as much as 40 percent.
Even in areas where the fluoride is added into the water system, the added fluoride from toothpaste (fluoride-contain:1000ppm-1500ppm) has been shown to be very beneficial to the teeth.
2. Ask your dentist to get the right product for you
While saving your money with a generic brand of toothpaste, you may actually be getting an ineffective—and potentially harmful—product. If you are in doubt of it, bring the toothpaste and ask your dentist, your dentist will give you professional advise of it. Your dentist will be able to advise the safety and effectiveness of the product.
The shape of the particles used in whitening products, though, is modified to clean those stains away better, so you’ll see a noticeable difference in how your teeth look. However, most of these products don’t contain bleach (peroxide, which is used in professional whitening treatment), making it impossible for them to brighten your smile as dramatically as professional whitening treatments.
The new Colgate Optic White which contains 1% peroxide claimed to get 3 shades whiter teeth. The reviews from the consumer of this product is not bad. However, this is not scientifically proven yet. Personally, I never try it. Perhaps will get one trial to write an review of it in the future
4. Less is more.
Despite what you see on commercials, a brush full of toothpaste won’t clean your teeth any better than half that amount, All you need is a pea-size amount of toothpaste. Yes, is just a pea size! Not only will that get the job done effectively (by cleaning and removing plaque, stains, food debris, and preventing tooth decay), you’ll also extend the life of your tube, thus save your pocket money!
5. How you brush is more important than what you brush with.
To do it properly, you need to position the brush at a 45 degree angle so that you get some of the bristles in between the tooth and the gums. Move the brush in small circles in those areas, and then continue on to the rest of the teeth. This process should take about one to two minutes to complete.
I always tell my patients, brushing teeth is like wiping windows. You don't just clean the window, but the border as well. Same goes to your brushing, you need to clean the border of your teeth (the gum) as well.
6. Organic toothpastes can be just as effective as regular.
If you’re willing to spend a little more to go for green, natural and organic toothpastes can be a good eco-friendly alternative to commercial brands—provided they contain fluoride. Natural and organic toothpastes that include fluoride in their ingredients are as effective as regular toothpastes with fluoride.
By using organic toothpaste, You’ll also be avoiding artificial preservatives, sweeteners and dyes.
7. What’s inside your toothpaste might surprise you.
Common thickening agents include seaweed colloids, mineral colloids and natural gums. And for that quintessential foaming action, most products rely on detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate—also found in many shampoos and body washes. They are safe for use, but studies found that it increases the rate of mouth ulcers. So, we advise those who tends to get mouth ulcer to avoid from using toothpaste containing SLS, toothpaste without SLS added is preferable.
8. Pastes or gels—they all do the trick.
Other than flavor, texture and how it makes a person feel, there aren’t any major differences among the various forms. I think it comes down to personal preference, which might come through trial and error. I encourage my patients to use whichever product encourages them to brush.
After reading this blog, I hope you will be able to find out the toothpaste product that suits you the most. Let's enjoy brushing teeth!
为了帮助你做出对的选择， AskDentistMY在这里要教你选牙膏时应该注意什么及如何更正确的使用你的牙膏。想要让你的牙齿健康闪亮，快来学吧！
1.牙膏里的氟化成分 (FLUORIDE)
在那么多的牙膏成分情况下，我们很容易忽略了什么是必不可少的成分。但是，不管你个人的需求是什么都好（即牙垢控制，美白，口气清新等） ，我们牙医一致认同，氟化物是牙膏内必须要有的。研究发现，用含氟牙膏每天刷牙两次，可以减少蛀牙多达40 ％。
虽然我们现在饮用的自来水中已含有氟化物，但牙膏里添加氟化物（氟含量：1000ppm- 1500ppm）将对牙齿起更加多防护的功能。
2. 询问你的牙医以找到适合你的牙膏
如果你无法确定你买的产品是否对你有效，你可以在与牙医复诊的同时询问牙医。你的牙医一定会给你一个专业的意见。牙医会告诉产品的安全性和有效性。
3. 美白牙膏对美白牙齿有一定程度的功效
现在我们能在市场上看到很多产品都有洁白牙齿的附加功能，但他们真的有效吗？在某种程度上，美白牙膏含有温和的研磨剂，能帮助去除牙齿表面的污渍。在美白产品中使用的微粒子，与其它普通牙膏中的微粒子不一样，它是经过改良后以提升清理污渍的功效，让你使用后看到一定程度上的每白效果。然而，这些产品大部分不含有漂白剂（过氧化氢-Hydrogen peroxide，它是用于专业牙齿美白治疗），所以不能像专业牙科美白牙齿一般显著的美白效果。
新的高露洁（COLGATE）亮白（optic white）牙膏，其中包含过氧化氢1 ％，声称能拿到3色调洁白的牙齿。消费者对该产品的评价也还算不错。但是，目前还没有真正的科学证明。就个人而言，我从来没有尝试过。或许将来有机会，也许试验看看它的功效，然后写个用后感分享。
4. 少即是多
我们常在牙膏得广告中看到，广告中会使用一个牙刷长度般的牙膏量刷牙，但实际上这不见得比你使用一半量牙膏来得有效。所有你需要的是牙膏的豌豆大小的量。
是的，仅仅是一个豌豆大小！这仅能有效的洁净（通过清洗和去除牙菌斑，污渍，食物残渣，防止蛀牙） ，您还可以延长牙膏的寿命，从而节省你的口袋里的钱！达到一举两得的好处。
5. 如何你刷比你用什么牙膏刷更加重要。
你能在市场上买到的最好的牙膏，但是如果你刷牙的方法不对，那样就不能达到好的功效。
那么，应该怎样刷牙才是正确的呢？你需要让刷毛在牙齿和牙龈之间产生一个45度角/ 或稍微让你的牙刷倾斜而不是横着靠在牙齿上，以转圈圈的方式刷，然后继续刷牙齿的其余部分。刷牙如果要刷干净大约需要一到两分钟。
我喜欢告诉我的病人，刷牙就像是抹窗。你不只是需要清理窗口的表面，窗口的框也需要清理。刷牙一样，你需要清理你的牙齿，而且也要清理牙龈， 这样刷牙才能把牙齿刷干净。
6. 有机牙膏也可以和一般普通的牙膏一样有效的防止蛀牙。
如果你愿意花多一钱使用天然和有机牙膏，只要它们含有氟化物，那你可以用这类牙膏替代现有的化学成分的牙膏。
天然和有机牙膏只要它们含有包括氟化物（FLUORIDE），那它们防止蛀牙的功效跟一般的牙膏都一样。
使用有机牙膏的好处是你可以避开人工防腐剂，甜味剂和色素。
7. 牙膏里面的所含成分可能会让你大吃一惊。
牙膏内会加一些增稠剂，让它变得比较稠。常见的增稠剂包括海藻胶体，矿物胶体和天然树胶。另外，牙膏里也含有一种添加化学物成分（十二烷基硫酸钠-sodium lauryl sulphate 简称SLS）以做为发泡沫的作用，而这类发泡成分都能在大部分洗涤剂产品如洗发剂和沐浴露中找到。但是目前没有研究显示它们会给口腔带来副作用。但是，一些研究发现，它增加了口腔溃疡的次数。所以，常患上口腔溃疡的人，我们会建议使用一些不含SLS添加的牙膏。
8. 膏状或凝胶状，它们都拥有一样的功效
可能有人告诉你，膏状比凝胶状好或凝胶状比膏状牙膏好。但，我认为，它们在保持牙齿健康方面都同样的出色。
除了味道，质地，以及它如何使一个人的感觉，基本上都没有太大的分别。我个人认为它归结为你自己个人喜好，你可能需要尝试不同类型的牙膏以找到属于你喜好的牙膏。我会鼓励我的病人使用任何产品，只要那个产品能鼓励他们去刷牙，它就是你所要找的牙膏。
希望大家读了这篇分享后，可以找到属于你的牙膏。让我们一起享受刷牙的乐趣，打造无蛀牙的健康口腔！
