• Question: What is in toothpaste????

    Asked by lani to Chris, Emily, Martin, Natalie, Tamsin on 20 Mar 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Natalie Stanford

      Natalie Stanford answered on 20 Mar 2010:


      Toothpaste contains a lot of chemicals, but this page pretty much describes what the basic groups a toothpaste needs in it,
      http://www.saveyoursmile.com/toothpaste/toothpaste-c.html
      I used to work making toothpaste for a major company, they are all pretty similar in their formulation. You just add different quirky bits like abrasive beads and a few different types of foamers depending on what type of toothpaste you are making.

    • Photo: Chris Cooper

      Chris Cooper answered on 20 Mar 2010:


      I know that there is some sort of detergent (to make it froth), flavouring (to make it palatable) and fluoride (to strengthen teeth). Other than that I would have to look on a tube. Why don’t you look at yours and tell me if there is something you don’t recognise? Add a comment and I’ll see if I can find out what it is there for. Or tell me yourself!

    • Photo: Martin Coath

      Martin Coath answered on 21 Mar 2010:


      All sorts of things are in toothpaste!

      Abrasives to clean and polish, antibacterials to kill plaque, calcium compounds to repair enamel, flouride to strengthen, soapy compounds to wash the stains off, essential oils to flavour … (I will stop here to avoid being too boring)

      It is a whole chemistry set in a tube! It is very interesting and a BIG industry.

    • Photo: Emily Cook

      Emily Cook answered on 22 Mar 2010:


      toothpaste is used to remove plaque form the teeth, prevent gum disease and leave you with minty-fresh breath.

      A dentist friend once told me that all toothpastes are basically the same, however fancy their colours and advertsing. The most important ingredient is the fluoride, which is measured in parts per million (ppm) in the ingredients list. The higher this is, the better the toothpaste.

      The other useful ingradient is an abrasive, which is used to remove the plaque like an exfolliant on skin or a scourer on dirty dishes.

      Many of the other ingrediants are just to make it sounds fancy or to make it taste better (e.g. artificial sweetners).

    • Photo: Tamsin Gray

      Tamsin Gray answered on 23 Mar 2010:


      There is a tradition here in Antarctica, to play practical jokes on people who are staying just before you leave, a bit like on the last day of school before summer. Last year, I left a nasty surprise for a few people by swapping their toothpaste for a tube of garlic puree!

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