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Dentists have really useful fluoride toothpaste for stronger cavity-resistant enamel for many years.1 It’s nonetheless thought-about the “gold normal” in dental faculties, regardless of its security considerations.
However there’s a brand new ingredient on the town confirmed to be simply as efficient as fluoride and fully non-toxic.
It’s known as hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite toothpaste has changed fluoride toothpaste as what I like to recommend to all of my sufferers. However what’s hydroxyapatite toothpaste?
On this weblog submit, we’ll study hydroxyapatite and try how fluoride compares with it.
How Does Fluoride Toothpaste Work?
Your enamel have an outer overlaying known as enamel that’s made up of calcium and phosphate. Your saliva additionally comprises calcium and phosphate that continuously bathe your enamel. These minerals preserve your enamel robust.
Micro organism present in cavities can break down meals particles and create an acidic setting in your mouth. This acidic setting is harsh and may strip away these helpful minerals from the surfaces of your enamel. This course of is named demineralization.
The fluoride in fluoridated toothpaste works by:
- Teaming up with the calcium and phosphate in your saliva and enamel to kind a compound known as fluorapatite. This compound seems to be like a crystal lattice (apatite crystal lattice).
- Masking demineralized enamel with the extra acid-resistant fluorapatite. This remineralizes the enamel, restores their energy, and protects it from additional harm by acid.
How Does Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste Work?
Hydroxyapatite is a type of calcium that makes up 97% of your tooth enamel and almost 70% of the dentin of your enamel.
The remainder of your enamel is definitely composed of water, collagen, and different proteins.
Hydroxyapatite is absorbed by the enamel and fills the enamel fissures brought on by demineralization.
Essentially the most broadly studied kind of hydroxyapatite is nano-hydroxyapatite. Toothpaste that comprises nano-hydroxyapatite has particle sizes between 20-80 nanometers (nm). Due to its small dimension, it might probably insert into actually small areas, which results in higher advantages.
Not like fluoride, hydroxyapatite works by:
- Remineralizing enamel from inside, reaching the innermost a part of a dental cavity
- Binding to plaque and dangerous micro organism in our mouth
How does Hydroxyapatite Evaluate to Fluoride in Efficacy?
In the case of which toothpaste is extra environment friendly, there’s actually no distinction between hydroxyapatite and fluoride toothpastes.
One research in contrast 10% hydroxyapatite with 500 ppm F− (amine fluoride), which dentists sometimes prescribe.2 The researchers found that the ten% hydroxyapatite labored simply in addition to 500ppm F− for remineralization and lesion depth (LD) discount.
The conclusion of the research was that hydroxyapatite toothpaste is the same as fluoride toothpaste in relation to efficacy.
Advantages of Hydroxyapatite over Fluoride Toothpastes
Each fluoride and hydroxyapatite can remineralize tooth construction, however right here’s why I want to suggest hydroxyapatite over fluoride:
- Oral microbiome pleasant: Though each have antibacterial properties, fluoride kills decay-causing micro organism and a few good micro organism. Then again, hydroxyapatite doesn’t kill the micro organism. It prevents dangerous micro organism from attaching to the enamel.3
- Fortifies enamel: Hydroxyapatite can enhance the microhardness of enamel.4 The coating of hydroxyapatite reinforces the enamel higher than the fluorapatite coating.
- Non-toxic: Hydroxyapatite is biomimetic.5 There aren’t any unwanted side effects with hydroxyapatite—the truth is, it’s protected sufficient to swallow your complete tube of toothpaste! With fluoride, alternatively, there’s a poison management label on the tube, and overexposure causes dental and skeletal fluorosis.
- Child-friendly: At an early age, youngsters don’t have full management over swallowing and may ingest giant quantities of toothpaste.6 When this occurs, the fluoride in toothpaste can get absorbed into the bloodstream and trigger dental fluorosis (a change within the look of tooth enamel). Toothpaste that comprises hydroxyapatite reduces the chance of fluorosis.
- Whitens: Hydroxyapatite toothpaste has been proven to lighten the shade of the enamel with out the assistance of any extra abrasives or whitening brokers.7
Is Fluorapatite Stronger than Hydroxyapatite?
Fluorapatite is much less soluble than hydroxyapatite. Which means that in acidic circumstances, fluorapatite is stronger and extra proof against demineralization.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t imply that fluorapatite toothpaste is healthier than hydroxyapatite toothpaste. Actually, research present that hydroxyapatite toothpaste is simply pretty much as good as fluorapatite toothpaste, with an additional advantage — it helps with dental hypersensitivity.8
Ought to I Change to Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste?
To me, this can be a no-brainer. When you have a greater different to fluoride toothpaste and it’s non-toxic, why wouldn’t you?
To most dentists, this can be a no-brainer as properly—nonetheless, fluoride remains to be taught because the “gold normal” in dental faculties, and there are nonetheless some dentists on the market who is perhaps leery of hydroxyapatite. If that is your dentist, ship them the analysis!
I like to recommend everybody discuss to their dentist about switching to a hydroxyapatite toothpaste, particularly the next classes of individuals:
- Pregnant ladies
- Individuals who dwell in areas with fluoridated water provide
- Infants and kids, particularly if they’re beneath the age of six.
- Folks with delicate enamel, as hydroxyapatite treats the foundation explanation for sensitivity.9
Which Toothpaste Manufacturers Comprise Hydroxyapatite?
There are two manufacturers of hydroxyapatite toothpaste manufacturers I like to recommend to readers as a result of I take advantage of them myself they usually even have an acceptable focus of hydroxyapatite to be efficacious. There are various hydroxyapatite toothpastes on the market, sadly, that don’t include sufficient of the ingredient to have an impact—when you’re unsure, e-mail the corporate and ask for the focus. It must be 15% or extra.
RiseWell Children’ Mineral Toothpaste (birthday cake taste)
Backside line
The largest benefit of utilizing toothpaste with hydroxyapatite is that it remineralizes your enamel with none unwanted side effects, in contrast to fluoride that’s poisonous in giant portions.
Hydroxyapatite is of course current inside our physique and constitutes most of our enamel.
Each fluoride and hydroxyapatite are scientifically confirmed to reverse dental decay—why not select the much less poisonous one?
References
1. Marinho VC, Higgins JP, Sheiham A, Logan S. Fluoride toothpastes for stopping dental caries in youngsters and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2003;(1):CD002278. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002278
2. Amaechi BT, AbdulAzees PA, Alshareif DO, et al. Comparative efficacy of a hydroxyapatite and a fluoride toothpaste for prevention and remineralization of dental caries in youngsters. BDJ Open. 2019;5(1):18. doi:10.1038/s41405-019-0026-8
3. Meyer F, Enax J. Hydroxyapatite in Oral Biofilm Administration. Eur J Dent. 2019;13(2):287-290. doi:10.1055/s-0039-1695657
4. Pepla E, Besharat LK, Palaia G, Tenore G, Migliau G. Nano-hydroxyapatite and its functions in preventive, restorative and regenerative dentistry: a assessment of literature. Ann Stomatol (Roma). 2014;5(3):108-114.
5. Enax J, Epple M. Artificial Hydroxyapatite as a Biomimetic Oral Care Agent. Oral Well being Prev Dent. 2018;16(1):7-19. doi:10.3290/j.ohpd.a39690
6. Bossù M, Saccucci M, Salucci A, et al. Enamel remineralization and restore outcomes of Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite toothpaste on deciduous enamel: an efficient choice to fluoride toothpaste. J Nanobiotechnology. 2019;17(1):17. doi:10.1186/s12951-019-0454-6
7. Niwa M, Sato T, Li W, Aoki H, Aoki H, Daisaku T. Sprucing and whitening properties of toothpaste containing hydroxyapatite. J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2001;12(3):277-281. doi:10.1023/a:1008927502523
8. Pajor Okay, Pajchel L, Kolmas J. Hydroxyapatite and Fluorapatite in Conservative Dentistry and Oral Implantology-A Evaluation. Supplies (Basel). 2019;12(17). doi:10.3390/ma12172683
9. Vano M, Derchi G, Barone A, Covani U. Effectiveness of nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste in lowering dentin hypersensitivity: a double-blind randomized managed trial. Quintessence Int. 2014;45(8):703-711. doi:10.3290/j.qi.a32240