| Listen to the radio. Watch television or read magazines and you cannot help but notice the never-ending "new" products which promise to eliminate plaque, tartar and fight gum disease. The question remains as to how well these products actually work.
Mouth rinses may help to reduce gingivitis (gum disease), but they are basically useless toward improving the more serious, advanced gum disease, periodontitis. Anti-tartar toothpastes do work a little to reduce tartar buildup above the gumline, but do nothing below the gumline, where tartar works to cause disease. The best toothpaste, the ADA (American Dental Association) advises is one which contains a fluoride formula, non-abrasive and approved by the ADA.
The surprise is that off all the products available on the market, the one which appears to hold the greatest promise for actually reducing tooth decay, are sugar-free gums and lozenges. The process is fairly simple. The gum or lozenge help to stimulate the production of saliva in the mouth. It is the saliva "wash" which can reduce plaque producing bacteria.
There are some new ingredients in gum which may prove to have an even more direct action on plaque reduction. The ingredient Recaldent, for example, is a calcium phosphate compound which, time may prove, can actually replace calcium lost in tooth decay. Xylitol is a sweetener, that has been shown to reduce plaque, but may cause diarrhea in some users. Baking soda, an "old" standard is a mild abrasive it is believed to neutralize plaque acids.
Only time will tell whether any of these ingredients have any significant effect, so, we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, the extra cost, may be worth the potential benefits. |