Abrasive Tooth Paste

Tips for Safe and Effective Toothpaste Use

• Abrasives remove plaque and daily deposits from the tooth.
• However, toothpastes with higher abrasivity can cause irreversible damage, including enamel, porcelain, and root surface abrasion, especially if a lot is used on a regular basis.
• Thus, it is important to know the Relative Dentin Abrasivity (RDA) of your toothpaste to ensure that it is safe and effective to use.
• For example:
  • If you have porcelain veneers or crowns, you will want to avoid using whitening or tartar control toothpastes, which are especially abrasive. Over time, abrasive toothpastes dull the luster of your porcelain.
  • If you have recession and/or exposed root surfaces, these surfaces wear at a rate that is 8 times faster than enamel.
    Overtime, this abrasion can lead to tooth sensitivity.
• Often, these abrasive toothpastes, which claim to whiten teeth and control tartar, are more expensive than their less abrasive alternatives.
• Dr. McKay recommends using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with an abrasive index of 60 or less. More toothpaste is not better.
• Dr. McKay recommends that you first brush the inside of your lower back teeth, because that is the area that people often miss.
• Where you start brushing gets the most wear, because the toothpaste is concentrated when you start brushing.
• Dr. McKay recommends that you brush twice a day for two minutes each time and that you floss once per day.
• Although the RDAs of the toothpastes listed below are subject to change, you may use the list to find the safest and most effective toothpaste for you today.