Foaming Agent in Toothpaste: Why Does it Foam?
We all need to have a great oral hygiene routine in order to keep our teeth and gums healthy.
But to maintain healthy gums and teeth, we need to do more than just brush and floss our teeth daily. We need to be investing in quality dental hygiene products that are made with healthy and natural ingredients and ultimately protect and heal our mouth as a whole.
When it comes to our oral hygiene, there is a range of factors that come into play. This ranges from the certain foods that we eat, the types of vitamins and minerals our body absorbs, our lifestyle and family genetic history, and our oral cleaning routine and products we use.
Of all the oral hygiene products that you can invest in, toothpaste is one of the most essential to get right. Toothpaste can come in a gel, paste, powder form, or even foaming form, and there is a range of specific issues that toothpaste is designed to help with.
There is a science behind toothpaste and key ingredients you need to know and we are here to share all you need to know about with you.
Today’s dive in? Foaming toothpaste and why it foams.
What makes your toothpaste foam?
When toothpaste foams, it’s supposed to help evenly spread the ingredients across all of your teeth, which is great news for the teeth that are in positions that are more difficult to reach.
But what ingredient actually makes toothpaste foam? Many toothpastes use a chemical known as SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), or TCS (triclosan), that acts as the foaming agent. In many large scale consumer toothpaste brands, SLS is frequently used as a key ingredient to help spread the toothpaste to all corners of the mouth. However, there are some risks involved with using toothpaste with SLS, as it also can lead to canker sores developing from too much exposure and irritation from this chemical.
But for natural toothpastes like ours, we developed a Natural Foaming Toothpaste that foams right out of the pump (i.e. without needing the use of chemicals) with the same goal in mind of spreading all the goodness evenly to help improve your oral hygiene, while also being an ideal option for those with sensitive teeth.
Does your toothpaste need to foam?
No, not all toothpaste will foam—especially if you are using natural toothpaste not designed specifically as a foaming toothpaste! This is because natural toothpaste does not include foaming agents like SLS in their ingredients. While the foam does help spread the reach of toothpaste in your mouth, it does not guarantee it will clean your teeth any better than non-foaming toothpaste! It is more an added push to help you achieve that goal.
More important is that the ingredients in your toothpaste are designed to help keep your teeth strong and protected. A great way to ensure that the toothpaste reaches all the important areas of your mouth is to just pay close attention to your brushing techniques. Don’t rush through the process and take your time gently scrubbing each tooth and surrounding gum area--two minutes per brushing session at the minimum, with two brushing sessions per day!
And as mentioned before, many dental experts say that you only need a small amount of toothpaste to get the job done of protecting your teeth! Making sure your toothpaste works the way it is intended to comes down to the quality of brushing versus whether or not foam is produced.
Other Facts to Know About Toothpaste
To help you understand how toothpaste works to clean with or without foam, the ingredients commonly used, and what you should consider, we are going to share some facts that you need to know about toothpaste in general.
Fluoride vs. Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
Fluoride is something that is proven to help strengthen teeth, but can also be quite negative to your overall health if you consume too much of it. While it can be helpful to be exposed to a certain amount of fluoride daily to ensure that your teeth remain protected, you also need to be conscious of not over-doing it, especially for younger children. That is why there are both fluoride and fluoride-free options available.
Different Brands Means Different Ingredients
It is important to read the fine print on toothpaste and understand who endorses it, what it is made of, and what it is designed to do. With over 50+ competitors out there in the consumer market to compete for your loyalty with toothpaste, it really does come down to the details of the small differences that can better suit your individual oral hygiene needs. This is where making sure you choose the best ingredients and don’t just go with your parents’ household brand makes a big difference.
(Not So) Whitening Toothpastes
In order to make your teeth permanently whiter, whitening toothpaste alone will not solely do the trick. Whitening toothpaste generally uses abrasive ingredients to remove surface stains on your teeth, but it comes down to many more factors to keep your teeth bright and white. That means the frequency in which you brush your teeth, the type of whitening toothpaste you use, and the diet that you have will all have an impact on how bright your teeth are. Another good thing to know is that, unfortunately, whitening toothpastes aren’t too friendly to sensitive teeth.
Less is More
Seriously, less is more when it comes to toothpaste. You don’t need to cover your entire toothbrush in toothpaste to get the job done. In fact, many dentists explain that a small pea-size amount of toothpaste is more than enough to allow you to do a thorough brush. This is keeping in mind that you are also using other dental hygiene products like a mouthwash as part of your oral hygiene routine.
This applies to ingredients, too. Toothpaste ingredients should be mindfully chosen for their benefits, and the list shouldn’t be long enough to cover the whole side of the tube like with most common brands.
Brushing Techniques
While the type of toothpaste you use is important and needs to compliment your individual oral hygiene needs, the way in which you brush your teeth is also important. If you don’t brush properly, the toothpaste won’t be able to do its job! Dental experts recommend that you brush with a slight 45-degree angle in small circular motions so that both your teeth and gums get cleaned at the same time, for two minutes, at least twice a day!
Natural Toothpaste is Gaining Popularity, and For Good Reason
There is a range of toothpaste that is fluoride-free and only uses natural ingredients—and they are just as effective (if not more) for protecting your teeth as the most common consumer brands!
Coral Toothpaste takes advantage of the antibacterial, gently abrasive, enamel-strengthening qualities of natural ingredients that nature has to offer, including coral calcium, silver, xylitol (a natural sweetener), ginkgo biloba extract, and more!
“Toothpaste” Comes in Many Forms, Not Just Paste
Whether your toothpaste comes in a paste or gel format, they still have the same ability to protect and clean your teeth. At the end of the day, the only two differences between paste and gel toothpaste are the type of packaging that they come in and the texture they hold. This is really a matter of what you as an individual prefer, and as long as actual teeth-cleaning and teeth-protecting ingredients are present, you can have confidence that the product is a good inclusion to your oral hygiene routine.
Conclusions About Foam and Toothpaste
Whether you choose to use a foaming toothpaste or not is ultimately your decision. It is not harmful if your toothpaste does foam, as the ingredients in many kinds of toothpaste are designed to produce this exact result--rather, it’s the slew of artificial ingredients as a whole that we don’t personally recommend.
Remember, the main purpose of toothpaste is not foaming. The foaming of toothpaste is just an extra means of support to help you get the job done of reaching all your teeth. If you use toothpaste that does not foam, you are still able to achieve the same type of oral hygiene results with normal, mindful brushing techniques.
A small amount of toothpaste can go a really long way in helping you achieve your oral hygiene goals.
If you are wanting to try a toothpaste that is designed to foam, we why not try ours? It is full of natural ingredients that we are confident will help you achieve the oral hygiene goals that you have, plus it’s the perfect choice for those with sensitive teeth. Otherwise, if foam is no longer a big deal to you, we have our classic all-natural, fluoride free toothpaste, too!
Sources:
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/06/5-surprising-toothpaste-facts-you-need-to-know/
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