Know your toothpaste

Every morning and night, we squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto our toothbrush and brush our teeth. But have we ever wondered what is in toothpaste that makes it clean our teeth? ?

So here it is Most toothpastes share common ingredients, both active and inactive. Active ingredients :

1. help fight cavities 2. reduce your risk of gum disease.

Inactive ingredients

1. give the toothpaste its taste and texture.

They may not take an active role in protecting your teeth from cavities or disease, but without them, toothpaste just wouldn't be the same. 

Fluoride When it comes to fighting cavities this ingredient is natures cavity fighter. It is a mineral that helps strengthen the enamel on your teeth, making them less susceptible to cavities and less likely to wear down from acidic foods and drinks.

Abrasives abrasives are technically considered an inactive ingredient because they don't reduce your risk for cavities or gum disease. However, your toothpaste wouldn't have much of an effect without them. Abrasives are the ingredients that actually remove food debris and stains from teeth. Abrasives were originally very rough and included things such as crushed egg shells, which were used by the ancient Egyptians, or crushed oyster shells, which were favoured by the Romans. Today's abrasives are a bit gentler and typically include calcium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels and hydrated aluminium oxides. The goal of the abrasive ingredients in modern toothpaste is to scrub the surface of the teeth without scratching or damaging your tooth's enamel. These days, it is the one-two punch of toothpaste and your toothbrush that helps you polish your teeth to a shine.

Flavours Who would like to use a toothpaste without any flavour?? Flouride and abrasives wouldn’t make your toothpaste taste good, that’s why you will typically find a number of flavoured ingredients in toothpaste. Toothpaste flavours typically come from sweetening agents, such as saccharin or sorbitol. Some toothpastes, such are even fruit-flavoured for children's use. Although these ingredients give the toothpaste a sweet taste, iti s important to note that these toothpastes don't contain sugar and thus won't cause tooth decay.

Humectants Some of those flavouring agents, like sorbitol, actually play two roles. Sorbitol is an example of a humectant, that prevents loss of water in the toothpaste. A humectant traps water in the toothpaste so that when you squeeze the tube, you get a nice, smooth substance. Along with sorbitol, other examples of humectants include glycol and glycerol.

Detergents they help to provide foaming to occur when you brush your teeth.One of the most common detergents placed in toothpastes is sodium lauryl sulfate. So the next time you are in the toothpaste aisle and find yourself wondering about what toothpaste to pick up , just flip the toothpaste box and read the ingredients.

What is in toothpaste is also listed on its packaging so you can get an idea of how the paste will clean your teeth, and whether it will provide extra protection against gum diseases.