Oral hygiene is an integral part of our overall health. But which toothpaste are you brushing your teeth with?
Have you been using Colgate or a Pepsodent?
It is very important to use the right toothpaste. Now, the thing is that there is ‘n’ number of toothpaste in the market.
Every other month there is a new toothpaste been launched.
How do we decide which toothpaste to buy? Well, I can help you with that.
For this article, I bought ten most popular toothpastes in the Indian market.
I will quickly analyze each of them, and by the end of this article, you will know if you should continue using your current toothpaste or is it the time for a change.
So, without any further delay, let’s get started.
I have segregated them into 8 significant categories based on the similarity of ingredients.
Even if I have missed the toothpaste that you have been using, I assume it would fall in one of these 8 categories.
Starting with
1. COLGATE, PEPSODENT & CLOSE UP
Category number 1, which includes Colgate, Pepsodent, and Close up.
These are commercial toothpaste, which is so popular that for a major percentage of people, toothpaste means Colgate.
These are the toothpaste that includes all chemical ingredients some of which are extremely harmful.
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is one example. If you find sodium lauryl sulfate in the
list of ingredients of your toothpaste, please consider changing it.
It is because of this chemical that you taste everything bitter just after brushing.
SLS also causes skin irritation and mouth ulcers. SLS has been registered as an insecticide and is used in detergents.
Regularly brushing teeth with a toothpaste containing SLS may lead to its deposits in the heart, liver, lungs, and brain.
The next point of contention is the amount of fluoride in these toothpaste.
Yes, many dentists claim fluoride to be the best defense against tooth decay.
Many studies have also proved the same. However, there have been some recent studies which suggests the contrary.
Is fluoride in toothpaste justified or not may be debatable, but one thing is for sure that fluoride is poisonous.
Ingesting just 2.8 grams of fluoride can kill a 50 kg adult.
These toothpastes contain enough fluoride to kill a small child within 2 to 4 hours if ingested.
The warning that children under 6 years should have adult supervision and should not swallow this toothpaste is written for a reason. (image with ingredients and warning
We must understand that our mouth is highly absorbent, so the chemicals lurking in the toothpaste get a fast track into our bloodstream.
Especially children who swallow a large amount of the paste that they put in their mouths.
If fluoride is so poisonous, regularly brushing teeth with a fluoridated toothpaste can harm you in the long run.
One more thing which should be taken into consideration that the water we drink is fluoridated.
I wouldn’t say you should stop or continue using fluoridated toothpaste. You are a better judge for yourself, but personally, I don’t use it, neither will I recommend it.
Specially when there are better toothpaste in the market which we will discuss in this article.
So please keep reading. As for these commercial toothpastes, forget fluoride, they have so much more, which should be avoided.
2. SENSODYNE
Category 2 is that of the toothpastes like Sensodyne, which have almost the same chemical composition as that of toothpastes in category number 1 except that they do not contain harmful chemicals like Sodium lauryl sulphate.
Just like the toothpastes in category 1, they also have artificial colours, preservatives and fluoride in them.
3. HIMALAYAS SPARKLING WHITE
In Category 3, fall toothpastes like Himalaya’s Sparkling white toothpaste which has the chemical composition without harmful ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulphate.
Himalaya’s Sparkling White toothpaste also does not have fluoride in them.
Undoubtedly, the toothpastes in this category are better than those in category 1 and 2, but still, they are far from best.
4. MESWAK
Toothpaste like Meswak fall in category 4 which are not fluoridated but have almost the same chemicals as of those in category 1 including the harmful ones like sodium Lauryl Sulphate.
Apart from SLS, they also contain Triclosan which is another extremely dangerous chemical already banned in soaps.
Triclosan is linked to breast and testicular cancer.
You will rarely find Triclosan in any toothpaste. Dabur Meswak and Colgate Total are among the rare ones.
Meswak also contains artificial colours and preservatives.
5. PANTANJALI’S DANT KANTI
In category 5, are the toothpaste like Patanjali’s Dant Kanti. Another extremely popular toothpaste in India. This toothpaste is much better than the ones we have discussed till now.
It is made from no chemicals but herbal ayurvedic ingredients.
It also does not have any artificial colours. However, the only thing which doesn’t let me recommend it to you is that it has fluoride in it.
6. AYUSH ROCK SALT TOOTHPASTE
Category 6 is that of the toothpaste like Hindustan Unilever Ltd Ayush’s whitening toothpaste with rock salt.
It has all herbal ingredients and does not even have fluoride in it. It, however, has artificial colours and preservatives in it.
One thing I want you to know is that not all toothpaste made by Ayush are non-flouridated.
For example, their clove toothpaste has fluoride in it.
So before you buy this brand, please check for it once.
7. DABUR RED TOOTHPASTE
In category 7, falls Dabur Red toothpaste which has herbal ingredients, no fluoride
and not even artificial colours.
It is a great choice.
8. VICCO VAJRADANTI
The last and the final category includes toothpaste like Vicco Vajradanti, which is a complete ayurvedic toothpaste devoid of any chemicals, fluoride and artificial colours.
It is the only toothpaste among the ones we have discussed that does not even use any preservatives.
It is a perfect blend of 18 Ayurvedic herbs and barks.
It is totally safe for kids.
It is also very cheap in comparison to other commercial toothpastes.
OPINION
In my opinion, Vicco Vajradanti is the best toothpaste available in the Indian market. So in my opinion, Vicco Vajradanti stands on top of the list followed by Dabur red, Ayush and Patanjali.
The commercial toothpastes like Colgate, Close Up and Pepsodent being the least preferred.
| Colgate | Not Recommended | Meswak | Not Recommended |
| Pepsodent | Not Recommended | Patanjali | Least Recommended |
| Close Up | Not Recommended | Ayush | Least Recommended |
| Sensodyne | Not Recommended | Dabur Red | Recommended |
| Himalaya | Not Recommended | Vicco Vajradanti | Recommended |
That’s all,
I hope now you got an idea if you need to change your toothpaste or not.
And as I said if I did not talk about the toothpaste that you are using, please check
it’s ingredients, and it will surely fall under one of these 8 categories.
Let me know in the comment box which toothpaste do you use regularly and would you now be changing it or not.
If yes, then which one would you buy.