What’s on your toothbrush matters! Drs. Rachel and Laura remind families that toothpaste does not act like soap; its job is not to clean your teeth. Rather, the bristles on your toothbrush do the cleaning, scrubbing away food particles and bacteria that can lead to tooth decay. So why use toothpaste at all then? The active ingredients in toothpaste help strengthen teeth, making them more resistant to decay. Hydroxyapatite and fluoride are two of the most used active ingredients found in toothpaste. While most of us have heard of fluoride, many of us have not heard of hydroxyapatite toothpaste. Below, the pediatric dentists of Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry share the 5 benefits of hydroxyapatite toothpaste.
What is Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste?
Before we explore the benefits of hydroxyapatite (HAp) toothpaste, we need to understand what it is. While HAp may be new to some, it has been around since the late 1970s. NASA discovered astronauts lost bone mass during microgravity. Astronauts needed toothpaste that could help prevent this loss, and HAp toothpaste was born! Hydroxyapatite is a mineral that is found in our teeth, bones, and even our saliva. In fact, HAp makes up about 96-97% of the outermost layer of teeth, the enamel.
Furthermore, HAp makes up about 70% of the tooth layer under the enamel, the dentin. When used in toothpaste, HAp can help repair weakened enamel by depositing minerals onto the tooth surface. Research shows HAp toothpaste to be as effective as fluoride toothpaste in cavity prevention. The benefits of brushing with HAp toothpaste don’t stop there!
The 5 Benefits of Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste
Now that we understand with HAp is, we’re ready to explore it’s benefits when used in toothpaste.
1. Reduces Safety Concerns: Non-Toxic & Safe to Swallow
HAp, unlike fluoride toothpaste, is completely non-toxic, making it safe to swallow. Of course, we don’t recommend your child eat this type of toothpaste, but parents can breathe easier if their toddler or child with special health care needs cannot spit it out effectively. In addition, those who are pregnant and/or dealing with autoimmune issues—or anyone concerned with limiting their exposure to toxic ingredients—may find HAp toothpaste a welcomed alternative.
HAp, unlike fluoride toothpaste, is completely non-toxic, making it safe to swallow. Of course, we don’t recommend your child eat this type of toothpaste, but parents can breathe easier if their toddler or child with special health care needs cannot spit it out effectively. In addition, those who are pregnant and/or dealing with autoimmune issues—or anyone concerned with limiting their exposure to toxic ingredients—may find HAp toothpaste a welcomed alternative.
2. Reduces Tooth Sensitivity
Tooth sensitivity occurs when our outermost tooth layer, the enamel, experiences some form of weakness. Healthy enamel creates a protective layer over the second tooth layer, the dentin. Specifically, the dentin contains tiny tubules or direct lines to the tooth nerve. When enamel is missing or thin, cold and hot foods hit the tubules instead of the enamel, sending a sensitivity report (or pain!) to the nerve. HAp can fill in these holes and strengthen the enamel, so fewer tubules remain exposed, thereby reducing tooth sensitivity.
3. Whitens Teeth Naturally
Of course, brushing and flossing daily helps whiten teeth by removing plaque and minimizing staining. HAp toothpaste helps whiten teeth further by strengthening the white part of your teeth, the enamel. The stronger our enamel, the whiter our teeth appear because it blocks the yellow of the dentin layer from showing or reflecting light through.
4. Maintains Your Mouth’s Ecological Balance
Our mouths have good bacteria and bad bacteria. When bad bacteria stick to teeth and form colonies, we call it biofilm or plaque. (If your teeth have ever had that “fuzzy” feeling, then you know what biofilm is!) Left untreated, plaque can become tartar and/or lead to tooth decay. Thus, most toothpaste and mouthwashes kill bacteria in the mouth, but they kill indiscriminately, killing both the good and the bad. In contrast, HAp prevents biofilm from forming by making it harder for bad bacteria to stick to teeth. In other words, HAp does not kill bacteria. As a result, the bad bacteria cannot easily accumulate on teeth, and the good bacteria remain intact, keeping a healthy oral ecological balance.
5. Helps Remineralize Teeth
Remineralization means that important minerals like calcium and phosphate are added back to the tooth enamel’s structure to strengthen it. HAp toothpaste helps this process by settling into porous parts of the enamel and providing a natural source of these important minerals. A cavity occurs when the rate of demineralization outpaces that of remineralization. Thus, HAp helps fight cavities in part by helping the remineralization process along.
What Are the Cons of Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste?
Currently, the biggest cons are cost and availability. Unlike fluoride toothpaste options, hydroxyapatite toothpaste brands are not found in stores. You’ll need to shop online for it. One brand we love is Risewell! We love Risewell’s PRO line because size does matter when it comes to HAp particles. The best hydroxyapatite toothpaste contains nano HAp. Risewell’s PRO line uses both nano and micro HAp making it a solid nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste option.
As for cost, expect to pay double what you pay for mainstream fluoridated toothpaste. Prices for HAp toothpaste run from $8.00 to $22.00 per tube, depending on the brand and quality of HAp in the toothpaste. Hopefully, as more and more people learn about and start using HAp toothpaste, these cons will disappear.
So What Does This Mean for Fluoride Toothpaste?
Fluoride toothpaste is still a great cavity-fighting option for many people. Its cavity-fighting properties have been tested and proven decade after decade. Indeed the amount of research supporting the safety and efficacy of using fluoride toothpaste still far exceeds that available for HAp toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste is also FDA-approved. Used correctly, fluoride toothpaste is safe, even for children.
You can also continue to use fluoride toothpaste and fluoride rinses in rotation with HAp toothpaste. Some families enjoy alternating their use to get both hydroxyapatite toothpaste benefits along with fluoride perks. Indeed, at Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry, our fluoride varnish is actually a mix of 2.5% HAp and 2.5% fluoride! In short, we don’t see fluoride being completely replaced any time soon. Rather, we see HAp as another valuable tool in cavity prevention! These 5 benefits of hydroxyapatite toothpaste address many concerns parents express at Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry regularly.
Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry is Accepting New Patients
Drs. Rachel Rosen and Laura Adelman provide compassionate, airway-focused dental care for infants, children, and tweens at Great Beginnings Pediatric Dentistry on the border of Twinsburg and Solon, Ohio. Dr. Danielle Richman provides adolescents with dental care at the same convenient location, so our practice can care for children from the first tooth through 21 years of age. Our talented team is accepting new patients 16 years of age and younger. Our state-of-the-art pediatric dental practice offers laser dentistry, laser tongue tie releases, minimally invasive dentistry, sedation dentistry, and airway dentistry all under one roof. Request an appointment for your child today.
This blog is intended for informational purposes only and is not to be used as medical advice. Only a thorough evaluation by a certified professional can diagnose your child with SDB.
