Baffled by the modern world, part 94 - toothpaste

StewartR

StewartR

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We're running low on toothpaste so as I was passing the local Wilko I popped in to pick some up. Or at least I tried. There were 21 different varieties of Colgate toothpaste on the shelf! Not even counting the other brands. So analysis paralysis set in, I couldn't make a decision, and I ended up leaving without any.

And it seems I was lucky. On the Colgate UK website there are 50 different varieties!!! If Wilko stocked all of them, I'd probably still be there now.

This is madness, isn't it?

Out of curiosity I used the apparently very helpful filtering function on the Colgate website to search for varieties of toothpaste that deliver the benefits I want.
  • Total number of products: 50
  • Products offering cavity protection: 50
  • Products offering cavity protection and plaque protection: 50
  • Products offering cavity protection and plaque protection and enamel protection: 50
  • Products offering cavity protection and plaque protection and enamel protection and breath freshening: 50
  • Products offering cavity protection and plaque protection and enamel protection and breath freshening and germ protection: 50
  • Products offering cavity protection and plaque protection and enamel protection and breath freshening and germ protection and tartar control: 50
Hmm. That wasn't as useful as I'd hoped. What I really need, I suppose, is a 'compare' function instead of a 'filter' function. But Colgate don't provide that. I wonder why not.

Any chemists out there? Is this all madness? Are there really any material differences between toothpastes these days (other than colour, flavour etc)? Or is this just a massive shelf stuffing exercise to make sure there's no room in the shop for other brands?
 
My Wife is a Dental Hygienist we get Oral B Pro Expert in boxes of 50 for free.
 
Easy decision for me. Due to fnurkled teeth, I am supposed to use Duraphat 5000ppm Fluoride toothpaste to prevent further fnurkling - so I do. Only available on prescription so I get it from my dentist. Since I only use it at night, I choose the morning toothpaste by taste (which leads to funny looks in Wilko when I do the taste testing :P [joking, just in case anyone thinks I'd really do that!]) and I prefer spearmint to the stronger minty tastes.
 
Just buy the same one as the one that's running low. Confusion avoided. :-)
 
viv1969 said:
Just buy the same one as the one that's running low. Confusion avoided. :)
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Hmmm, now let's see. What is the one that's running low? Colgate Total Healthy Clean? Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection? Colgate Max White White & Protect [sic]? Colgate Max Fresh? Colgate Max White Shine? Colgate Triple Action? .... nope, can't remember.

I could go home, inspect it, and write down the name, or take a photo of it. But either way your proposal doesn't sound like an easy solution.
 
StewartR said:
Hmmm, now let's see. What is the one that's running low? Colgate Total Healthy Clean? Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection? Colgate Max White White & Protect [sic]? Colgate Max Fresh? Colgate Max White Shine? Colgate Triple Action? .... nope, can't remember.

I could go home, inspect it, and write down the name, or take a photo of it. But either way your proposal doesn't sound like an easy solution.
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This is me - exactly! so I pick one from the shelf and get home to discover its the same one I bought last time - and didn't like that time either.

I wonder what proportions of the 50 types they sell?

Modern living gone mad again

D
 
StewartR said:
Hmmm, now let's see. What is the one that's running low? Colgate Total Healthy Clean? Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection? Colgate Max White White & Protect [sic]? Colgate Max Fresh? Colgate Max White Shine? Colgate Triple Action? .... nope, can't remember.

I could go home, inspect it, and write down the name, or take a photo of it. But either way your proposal doesn't sound like an easy solution.
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Really?
 
We just buy whatever Sainsbury’s are doing for a quid at the time. Im 63 and my teeth haven’t fallen out yet, so I presume they all work. ;)
 
Raymond Lin said:
One must wonder when was the last time you bought toothpaste if this is news.
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I usually buy it from Waitrose or Tesco. They don't have such a large range as Wilko. Either that, or I haven't been paying attention. That's possible. Not paying attention to things is a good strategy to avoid getting fixated.
 
As you've referenced PE in the title, why not ask Mr. Hislop to investigate??
 
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I wet mine during the Morrison run...
I usually get some form of the Colgate Total. I tried checking the ingredients on each, but found that they were pretty much identical so gave up.
there seems to be the expensive range and the less expensive range. I go with the less expensive as they seem to have identical ingredients anyway.
I remember when Colgate tooth paste first came to my conciousness in the late 40's, the only difference was the size of the lead tube.
 
My missus being a dental hygienist will say buy a good brand and make sure it is in date, use a high fluoride toothpaste if you are prone to cavities etc.
however the biggest advice is to use a good electric toothbrush like the ORAL B and also avoid excess snacking during the day as these cause acid attacks and increase erosion etc.

Do's

drink water with nowt in it.
eat regular meals and if you must have a highly acidic drink like orange juice or a carbonated drink have it at the same time as your meal.
when you brush at night do not rinse you mouth just spit, the toothpaste will carry on working for a while longer.
after a meal rinse your mouth with water, this will help shift the crap stuck in your teeth.

floss and use the dental picks

DONT's

limit coffee and tea it stains teeth
avoid snacking in between meals, it increases the amount of acid attacks, you should be looking at no more than 6 acid attacks in your mouth a day
don't drink carbonated drinks ever, the bubbles in the drink vastly increase surface erosion.
don't ignore a bit of bad breath, its Perio and could be gum disease.

And go see a dental hygienist at least once a year for a full clean up.
 
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Mostly marketing BS I expect.
Mouthwash is another one. Remember the advert where the woman spat it out in the sink and you could apparently see all the stuff it had cleaned out? Well I used to knock about with a girl who was a scientist at GSK, apparently that stuff had something dissolved within it which when mixed with the enzymes in saliva it would come out of suspension and present as 'dirt'. But the important thing being that it came from the mouthwash and not your mouth!
 
Nod said:
Easy decision for me. Due to fnurkled teeth, I am supposed to use Duraphat 5000ppm Fluoride toothpaste to prevent further fnurkling - so I do. Only available on prescription so I get it from my dentist. Since I only use it at night, I choose the morning toothpaste by taste (which leads to funny looks in Wilko when I do the taste testing :p [joking, just in case anyone thinks I'd really do that!]) and I prefer spearmint to the stronger minty tastes.
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I've had that stuff but I find one of the Colgate off the shelf ones actually works better for me.

I blame my dentist for causing the reseeding gums that have lead to two teeth becoming sensitive. Every time I go to the dentist he does a scale and polish and there have been times when it's hurt a lot and all sorts of stuff has come out of my mouth. On the last occasion both the dentist and his young and glamorous (oh er) assistant both asked me if I was ok after spitting out a quantity of blood and lumps of what looked to me like pieces of gum.

I googled "can a dentist damage my teeth" and found my way to a report done for the gov, it made very interesting reading... apparently people who go to the dentist more have more fillings and lose more teeth. The report recommended changes and my change was to stop going to the dentist. I think the report said that a scale and polish was a waste of time and unless there are problems an adult should go to the dentist once every seven years.
 
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bass_junkie83 said:
Mostly marketing BS I expect.
Mouthwash is another one. Remember the advert where the woman spat it out in the sink and you could apparently see all the stuff it had cleaned out? Well I used to knock about with a girl who was a scientist at GSK, apparently that stuff had something dissolved within it which when mixed with the enzymes in saliva it would come out of suspension and present as 'dirt'. But the important thing being that it came from the mouthwash and not your mouth!
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My Missus recommends Corsydl I think its spelt for people that have gum issues or difficult to reach pockets and cavitiies.

Mouthwash in itself can be effective combined with a good brushing regime.
 
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woof woof said:
I've had that stuff but I find one of the Colgate off the shelf ones actually works better for me.

I blame my dentist for causing the reseeding gums that have lead to two teeth becoming sensitive. Every time I go to the dentist he does a scale and polish and there have been times when it's hurt a lot and all sorts of stuff has come out of my mouth. On the last occasion both the dentist and his young and glamorous (oh er) assistant both asked me if I was ok after spitting out a quantity of blood and lumps of what looked to me like pieces of gum.

I googled "can a dentist damage my teeth" and found my way to a report done for the gov, it made very interesting reading... apparently people who go to the dentist more have more fillings and lose more teeth. The report recommended changes and my change was to stop going to the dentist. I think the report said that a scale and polish was a waste of time and unless there are problems an adult should go to the dentist once every seven years.
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Receeding gums can be caused by a number of things and doubtfull if yits your dentist.

main cause is over brushing using to hard a brush.
Also if when you are having a sale and polish you bleed and bits come out of your gums, that's the crap that is lodged there due to poor oral hygiene.

also even my missus will say dentists are no good at scale and polish as they have to little time to do a though job and can be a bit rough.
go see a proper hygienist a decent appointment will be 30-45 mins and privately as a one off between £60-£80
 
I make my own with coconut oil, bicarbonate of soda, sea salt and clove oil. Since I started using it, my gums have gone from most of them being inflamed and considered at risk to perfectly healthy.


Steve.
 
Mr Bump said:
My Missus recommends Corsydl I think its spelt for people that have gum issues or difficult to reach pockets and cavitiies.

Mouthwash in itself can be effective combined with a good brushing regime.
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Not denying that. But somewhere along the line someone more interested in shifting product had the bright idea that to get ahead of the competition making it look like their mouthwash was doing something was more important than it actually doing something.
 
Mr Bump said:
Receeding gums can be caused by a number of things and doubtfull if yits your dentist.

main cause is over brushing using to hard a brush.
Also if when you are having a sale and polish you bleed and bits come out of your gums, that's the crap that is lodged there due to poor oral hygiene.

also even my missus will say dentists are no good at scale and polish as they have to little time to do a though job and can be a bit rough.
go see a proper hygienist a decent appointment will be 30-45 mins and privately as a one off between £60-£80
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I know it could be life and time that caused it but I didn't have it one day and then I did so forgive me for jumping to conclusions.

As to the blood and stuff coming out... there are degrees and IMO and possibly in the opinion of those present at the time something went a bit wrong otherwise why on earth would both have asked me if I was alright.

As for going to a hygienist, I use a combination of mouth wash and brushing and except for the sensitivity of two teeth I've had no problems for years even with not going back. From what that dentist told me the reseeding (or possibly damaged gum) is irreversible other than a sort of gum graft which isn't guaranteed to fix it and at the moment I'm not in discomfort as the mouth wash and tooth paste are keeping the sensitivity in check so don't feel that I want to go that route yet.
 
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woof woof said:
I know it could be life and time that caused it but I didn't have it one day and then I did so forgive me for jumping to conclusions.

As to the blood and stuff coming out... there are degrees and IMO and possibly in the opinion of those present at the time something went a bit wrong otherwise why on earth would both have asked me if I was alright.

As for going to a hygienist, I use a combination of mouth wash and brushing and except for the sensitivity of two teeth I've had no problems for years even with not going back. From what that dentist told me the reseeding (or possibly damaged gum) is irreversible other than a sort of gum graft which isn't guaranteed to fix it and at the moment I'm not in discomfort as the mouth wash and tooth paste are keeping the sensitivity in check so don't feel that I want to go that route yet.
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you might have had the exposed and sensitive gums after the clean as where the teeth and gums meet up is where the most plaque and tartar also hang out.
scraping that off will expose and cause sensitive gums but it needed to come off and with management and careful soft brushing they will recover.

Are you a smoker?
 
ecoleman said:
They’re all the same. It’s called marketing.
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This is what I reckon also, when you look at the ingredients they are usually identical or close as.

The main difference I find with toothpastes is the type of fluoride, be it sodium or stannous. We just get the supermarket's own brand now as it's far cheaper, probably just the same as the expensive brands and they almost always don't test on animals.
 
gman said:
This is what I reckon also, when you look at the ingredients they are usually identical or close as.

The main difference I find with toothpastes is the type of fluoride, be it sodium or stannous. We just get the supermarket's own brand now as it's far cheaper, probably just the same as the expensive brands and they almost always don't test on animals.
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my wife shuddered when I read this to her, there are considerable differences in toothpaste down to the formulation, the addition of micro abrasives, how long it carries on working after brushing etc.

In a word she states ORAL B Pro Expert is by far the finest toothpaste money can buy and she has many patients that do go and purchase it and then use it with rubbish worn out poundland toothbrushes with just a cursory whip round once or maybe twice a day, as stated the paste is just a cog in the oral hygene machine. chances are if you are tight and dismissive of good toothpaste the rest of the chain is failing.
 
I used to use ORAL B Pro in the past because of the stannous fluoride, but they test on animals which is a big problem for us and we like to avoid products that do wherever possible. Cost doesn't really both me but my pegs have been fine with the supermarket stuff also. I do use a pretty expensive electric toothbrush though,
 
gman said:
I used to use ORAL B Pro in the past because of the stannous fluoride, but they test on animals which is a big problem for us and we like to avoid products that do wherever possible. Cost doesn't really both me but my pegs have been fine with the supermarket stuff also. I do use a pretty expensive electric toothbrush though,
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good stuff, sounds like you have a right good regime there, don't forget the little picks in between the pegs once a week.
 
Mr Bump said:
my wife shuddered when I read this to her, there are considerable differences in toothpaste down to the formulation, the addition of micro abrasives, how long it carries on working after brushing etc.
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You know how some manufacturers provide 'compare' functionality on their websites, so you can look at different products and see what the have in common and how they differ? Colgate doesn't do that. I wonder why?
ecoleman said:
They’re all the same. It’s called marketing.
Click to expand...
 
StewartR said:
You know how some manufacturers provide 'compare' functionality on their websites, so you can look at different products and see what the have in common and how they differ? Colgate doesn't do that. I wonder why?
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they don't do that because you kind of can't compare a product like that without extensive tests and they are a well known brand, the wife will tell you that the paste is only a small cog in the oral hygine regime and just buy a well known brand and a great electric toothbrush like the ORAL B Pro range (not the ones that take 2xAA batteries)
 
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