The PROBLEM With Toothpaste

We all know brushing your teeth is good for you, but do we know why? And, more importantly, is there a difference between the products we use??

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Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Kirsten Stanley + Kim Su
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

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[leackls]

"Just buy the cheapest toothpaste, floss and soft toothbrush. Unless you have a specific medical need to use certain expensive brands, anything else is literally just a waste of money." - pretty much any dentist with an ounce of honesty

[liyanglim]

Dentist here. I agree with most of your points, but I'd like to reiterate, emphasise, and summarise some key points:
1. Prehistoric humans DID have perfectly straight teeth with no decay (although really worn down). This is because their diet contains highly fibrous non-sugary unprocessed foods scavenged from various sources.
2. Our diet now is highly processed with loads of simple sugars and other carbohydrates, which feed the pathogenic streptococcus mutans. They ferment the sugars which produces acids that dissolve our teeth leading to tooth decay. Cutting down on sugary foods would be beneficial.
3. Consequently, toothbrushing AND flossing is pertinent to maintaining our oral health. Correct toothbrushing techniques mechanically remove food residue and plaque on tooth surfaces, while flossing removes those in between the teeth.
4. The fluoride in toothpaste IS a must, to kill bacteria, neutralise acids, AND strengthen teeth. I always recommend patients to not rinse after brushing - ie brush, spit and NO rinsing. Do not buy any expensive naturopathic toothpaste - choose cheaper well-known brands with fluoride.
5. Fluoride is NOT poison. Much like literally any chemical (including water, sugar, and salt), the poison is the dose. Fluoride is only considered harmful at above 5-10g for an adult. An entire tube of toothpaste only has 0.2g of fluoride, and you use a minuscule amount each time. Of course, I am NOT encouraging anyone, especially kids, to swallow tubes of toothpaste.

[HumbleWooper]

Side note, if you're on any sort of medication (prescription, over the counter, or off the shelf), it's best to check with your doctor before using activated charcoal body products or eating food that has it as an ingredient. If that medication is actively keeping you alive or sane, ABSOLUTELY check with your doc first.
Activated charcoal is amazing at absorbing chemicals, and may absorb your meds lessening their effectiveness. Or if it absorbs SOME of your meds but not others, it can totally mess with the balance your doctor(s) intended and cause all sorts of "fun" issues.

[markpugliese]

Few things to add- fluoride actually makes teeth resistant to cavities as well. When incorporated into the tooth it can handle more acid (lower ph) before erosion occurs. As far as I know, there are no ADA approved charcoal products as their is concern that it’s too abrasive (you wouldn’t take sandpaper to your teeth would you?). If you really don’t want fluoride you can try nanohydroxyapatite toothpaste. It needs more research but current studies show it is promising in remineralizing teeth but you still lose out on the erosion resistance provided by fluoride

[vukstefanovic]

Bruh, naturalistic fallacy is strong with people who hate on the "chemicals"

[txvrlue]

The discussion of this topic seemed to sway from being unbiased and empirically-focused. I get that a youtube channel has to present in a way that sounds persuasive and elicits an instinctive reaction, but a lot of the phrasing that was chosen seemed to just be appealing to the naturalistic fallacy.

e.g. describing toothpaste as "chemical-intensive" as if that implies it's bad in some way - literally everything in the world contains chemicals. There's over 300 in an apple - pretty "chemical-intensive" if you ask me. The only reason to bring up the number of chemicals is if you're trying to get your audience to think that chemical=bad, or you're under that poorly informed impression yourself.

Plus saying the ingredients are "far from 'natural'" - again, as if that has any bearing on their safety.
This is classic naturalistic fallacy - cyanide and arsenic and poison ivy are natural but very harmful! Plenty of food additives are artificial but benign!

Also, "artificial sweeteners - yeah, like sugar!" confused me. Artificial sweeteners aren't sugar, that's the whole point of them. If you're drinking sugar-free Coke, the acid is still going to harm your teeth, but chewing sugar-free gum (e.g. with Xylitol) can be beneficial for teeth.

[nicoled.]

Quitting soda was my first step in fighting my autoimmune disease, but at the same time it has change my sugar taste buds and helped me start to cut back on processes foods. That one change was a cascade effect that I now feel so much better and have not had a cavity in years since I quite. And yes I put sugar in my coffee and do eat a sweets/bread. Just not the same amount as the 1-2 cans of soda a day.

[whauk]

Just adding that there is a toothpaste for children (that has less flouride) because they have smaller bodies and are maybe not so good at spitting out yet. So this keeps them under the dangerous threshold for flouride. Or the other way round: Don't give children an "adults'"-toothpaste.

[radkovicbe]

Say it with me now, “Anything can be a poison, it’s just a matter of dosage.”

[genesis_jimmy]

Hi! Dental hygienist here. A fluoride alternative is nano hydroxyapatite. It's non toxic and helps remineralize and protect your teeth from cavities. Definitely recommend looking into it.

[swedneck]

Sorry if i missed it in the video, but i feel it's important to note that in a lot of countries they add flouride to drinking water so afaik that isn't much of a worry, also in medieval times people would just brush their teeth with twigs and maybe some salt to help with abrasion and taste.

[Matty]

it always makes me laugh that after putting fluoride in tap water, people not only stopped drinking tap water, they switched to soda, which is just sugar and acid which is the worst combination for teeth along with not brushing or flossing

[starsINSPACE]

I am sensitive to mint so I have to use kids toothpaste with odd flavors. I find the Colgate bubble fruit is less obnoxious than crest sparkle fun. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk 😂 😝

[klauserji]

"not eat sugar and starch as much"
as an asian that have rice as our daily consumption.... it's hard

[PatrisDev]

Never knew that tea has fluoride in it as well. With the amount that I drink, I'm probably undead at this point...

[unknownuser]

Hahaha, you also forgot our ancestors usually died a lot earlier. So they didn’t have the length of time to have their teeth rot.

[Alias_Anybody]

Regarding teeth specifically, the AMOUNT of sugar/carbs is actually not what matters most, but for HOW LONG you have it in your mouth. Basically, eating all the time or stuff like lollipops are kind of a bad idea.

[joetilman]

Urine does not have teeth *cleaning* properties, but it is a teeth *whitener.* Still not recommended, for multiple reasons...

[shunyucao]

So the fact ancient people has life expectancy of less than 30 years old was never put into consideration?

[renatoa]

this is a verified channel, but I missed some fact-checking that I'd come to expect of such, specifically I think it would be safer for us all if you cited sources on that baking soda bit and maybe even read short transcripts from the literature documenting your claims. That part of the script did not sound good at all as is. The overall message is constructive, so I don't know, I'll still give the benefit of the doubt.