Looking for the best whitening toothpaste for you? Here are the different types out there and how they work to help narrow down the search.
Choosing the Best Whitening Toothpaste for You
The best whitening toothpastes help whiten your smile while providing additional benefits to help improve your oral health. These include:
Antimicrobial: Antimicrobial toothpastes may contain stannous fluoride, an antibacterial agent that also provides anti-cavity and sensitivity benefits.
Tartar control: Tartar-control toothpastes may contain pyrophosphate which helps to keep tartar from forming on teeth. Advanced toothpaste formulations contain sodium hexametaphosphate, which helps prevent tartar and stain formation above the gum line.
Sensitivity: Sensitivity toothpastes may contain different compounds to help stop tooth pain, including stannous fluoride. If you experience tooth sensitivity, the best whitening toothpaste may also utilize multiple compounds to effectively whiten while treating tooth sensitivity on different levels.
Enamel-Safe Whitening: Enamel-safe whitening toothpaste is designed to gently remove surface stains while also offering an additional layer of protection against future stains.
How does Whitening Toothpaste Work?
There are two main functions that whitening toothpaste provides: stain removal and stain prevention. Here’s how:
Stain removal whitens teeth by using physical and chemical actions such as mechanical stain disruption (e.g., from silica) and chemical stain disruption (e.g., from sodium hexametaphosphate). These combined actions help to disrupt and destroy the stain on the surface of the enamel, exposing a cleaner, whiter surface. Several whitening products base their benefits on these types of actions. Effective whitening toothpastes contain special silica particles that gently polish the enamel. Many Oral-B products contain a dual silica system that is a combination of cleaning silica and a special whitening silica to gently clean and polish teeth for premium whitening.
Chemical stain prevention is possible through phosphate technologies, such as pyrophosphates (found in Oral-B 3D White toothpastes) and polyphosphate (sodium hexametaphosphate) found in Oral-B toothpastes. Any toothpaste or rinse technology that also prevents the formation of tartar (Calculus) is stain preventing, as tartar can contribute to extrinsic stain buildup. Examples of tartar prevention ingredients include pyrophosphate and polyphosphate technologies.
Best Oral-B Whitening Toothpaste Options
Oral-B 3D White Luxe and Advanced Express toothpastes are professionally designed to remove up to 100% of surface stains and protect against future surface stains. [DT1]
Oral-B 3D White Arctic Fresh toothpaste removes up to 87% of surface stains and starts whitening after 1 brush. [DT2]
No matter which whitening toothpaste you choose to brush with, it’s important to maintain a thorough oral care routine. Be sure to brush twice and floss once daily to keep teeth strong and gums healthy.