Choosing The Best Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

Does whitening toothpaste (such as Colgate Whitening toothpaste) really work?  The arguments for and against are many, but the short answer is, “it depends.”  To accurately answer this question it is helpful to realize that there are several underlying causes of yellowing teeth.  The best teeth whitening toothpaste can be effective in serving as a teeth whitener and in dealing with some of those causes, but not others.

The best whitening toothpaste generally contains abrasive materials that work to physically scrape stains off the surface of the teeth caused by food and drink.  These abrasives must be strong enough to remove the stains, but not too strong as to damage the tooth’s enamel.  While the best teeth whitener pastes on the market today strike the proper balance, there is whitening toothpaste available that is too abrasive and that can damage the enamel. 

These over abrasive toothpastes are to be avoided because the tooth whitening power and effectiveness of a teeth whitener toothpaste is diminished when it causes damage to the enamel of the teeth.  This is because discoloration is not always caused by food and drink.  Sometimes the cause of the discoloration lies below the surface of the tooth and is the result of discoloration of the dentin inside the tooth.   And when the abrasives contained in a whitening toothpaste damage the enamel of the teeth and reduce its thickness, it makes the yellowing of the dentin below the surface more visible.

So what do customers need to know when looking for the best teeth whitening toothpaste?  Simply that while the best teeth whitening toothpaste can effectively remove stains from the surface of the teeth, it can do nothing to reduce the yellowing of the dentin beneath the surface.  In fact, it might actually make the yellowing beneath the surface of the teeth more obvious by damaging the enamel through over abrasiveness.

The best tooth whitening toothpaste today tends to be the newer brands because they typically contain softer abrasives.  Also, there are some that are now employing methods other than abrasives for removing stains from the surface of teeth.  Either are a good choice when looking for the best teeth whitening toothpaste.