Toothpaste Ingredients

Here are some common kinds of ingredients that are found in toothpaste and what they do.

Abrasives - Used to remove stains and plaque as well as polish teeth. Common abrasives include silica and calcium carbonate.

Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) - Used to help modify the pH of plaque, and possibly the activity of the bacteria that cause tooth decay.

Calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) - Used to help increase the amount of fluoride that is taken up into tooth enamel.

Chlorhexidine salts - Effective against a wide variety of bacteria.

Flavors - Natural oils and flavors, including wintergreen, eucalyptus oil, menthol and thymol.

Fluoride - Strengthens the teeth against cavities. This is present in toothpaste as either sodium fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate and stannous fluoride.

Gums - Used to thicken toothpaste, but also to retain moisture, so the toothpaste doesn't dry out if the top is not replaced.

Hydrogen peroxide - An effective bleaching agent that can penetrate enamel to bleach intrinsic stains.

Papain - A naturally occurring enzyme that dissolves protein. May be used to remove superficial tooth staining.

Potassium Nitrate - Used to desensitize sensitive teeth.

Pyrophosphate - Used in tartar control toothpastes to help prevent new tartar from forming above the gum line with regular brushing.

Sodium lauryl sulfate - A foaming, cleaning and dispersing agent with antibacterial properties.

Sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) - Used in whitening toothpastes to remove surface stain and prevent new stains from forming. Also used in tartar control toothpastes to help prevent new tartar from forming above the gum line with regular brushing

Strontium - Used to reduce the pain from sensitive teeth by blocking the tubules in the exposed dentin.

Triclosan - Antibacterial agent in toothpaste and mouthwash. At low concentrations it inhibits bacterial growth.

Zinc salts - Used to inhibit bacterial enzyme reactions, including the breakdown of sugar into plaque acid. Also reported to be effective against bad breath by converting offensive sulfur compounds to non-volatile substances.