The cutting edge of technology isn’t just reserved for computers. Medical research lets us find better ways to care for ourselves and keep us healthy longer. Oral health benefits from quality research, and developing research aids in developing new oral care products that keep our teeth and gums in top shape.
The NIH, the National Institute of Health, carefully examined years of research into fluoride and was able to make recommendations using the whole body of research. They also looked at the promising ingredient nano hydroxyapatite to see if it was helpful to maintaining optimal oral health. These findings provide a roadmap for making better oral care products.
Lesson #1: Fluoride Toothpaste Works, but Inactive Ingredients Matter
It’s a vital tool for keeping your teeth healthy. It aids in remineralizing teeth and helps the enamel you have stay strong. We’ve known this for a while. But, some new research has helped professionals to understand how to use fluoride more efficiently so that it can provide the biggest benefit from fluoride with the lowest risk of side effects.
Toothpaste containing fluoride does make a difference. It’s not the case, as was once believed, that fluoride only works if absorbed while growing, and thus only benefits children under the age of 8 who are still developing teeth. Surface fluoride from toothpaste containing fluoride that bathes the teeth during brushing can help keep teeth strong and cavity free.
Fluoride in the toothpaste can only work, though, if the inactive ingredients don’t keep it from working. Silica, an abrasive added to most toothpastes, in the toothpaste can combine with the fluoride and render it inert (useless) if there aren’t enough detergent agents to shield the fluoride.
Lesson #2: Calcium Improves Fluoride’s Effectiveness
Research has shown that putting calcium in fluoride toothpastes makes them more effective in preventing cavities. The fluoride combines with the calcium, which adheres to existing tooth enamel better than fluoride alone. The calcium and fluoride combination then slowly releases fluoride over a longer amount of time than the two minutes of brushing time, which allows the tooth enamel more time to use the fluoride, extending the benefits of brushing with fluoride.
Lesson #3: Professionally Applied Fluoride Varnish Has Long Lasting Benefits
Professionally applied fluoride varnish can help prevent cavities for 6 months. A program in Clarke County Kentucky has reduced cavities in school aged children who have fluoride varnish applied every 6 months from 50% to 11%. The fluoride from the varnish is slowly released over several hours, allowing the body to replenish fluoride stores in the saliva.
More research is needed to know for sure how the varnish, which only stays in the mouth for a few hours, can provide 6 months of protection.
Lesson #4: Nano Hydroxyapatite Helps Remineralize Teeth in Acid Environments
Nano Hydroxyapatite is a specialized form of calcium crystal. This form of calcium is the crystal that makes up the skeleton of the skeleton and teeth. Research into using nano hydroxyapatite has shown it has a ton of potential to improve oral health with widespread use.
Research has shown that young people are drinking more beverages that contribute to acidic conditions in the mouth, especially sports drinks. When researchers put nano hydroxyapatite in a sports drink, they were able, using bovine teeth, to demonstrate that the nano hydroxyapatite decreased cavity formation. This is especially good news, because it showed that nano hydroxyapatite can preserve enamel in the face of high acid conditions, which are ideal conditions for cavity formation. CariFree Gels, both fluoride containing and fluoride free formulations, have bio-available nano hydroxyapatite, allowing you to benefit from this ingredient.
Lesson #5: Nano Hydroxyapatite Can Lessen Dental Sensitivity Following Whitening
Sensitive teeth can cause remarkable amounts of misery, especially to people who have their teeth whitened. The great news for those pearly-white seekers is that applying a nano hydroxyapatite product after whitening has been shown to meaningfully reduce the pain that can accompany some whitening treatments while not interfering with the whitening effects. Five minutes with a CariFree CTx3 Gel following a professional whitening treatment could help you enjoy the cosmetic results a lot more by reducing the discomfort that so often follows a professional whitening treatment.
While not everyone is interested in reading medical studies all day long, it’s good to know that researchers are still looking for ways to improve our overall and oral health. It’s even better when new products are developed that use this information to make our health better every day. CariFree continues to work at keeping up with the best research to make the best products we can for dentists and patients.