Pros and cons of each

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If you’ve never heard of tooth powder, you are not alone. This age-old product was the precursor to toothpaste, but fell out of favor decades ago.

Even if it’s hard to find on the shelves, tooth powder is still available online and in specialty stores. But should you bother buying it?

In this article, we’ll explain the differences between tooth powder and toothpaste, and give the pros and cons for each.

It is believed that tooth powder originated many thousands of years ago. Ancient people may have used ingredients like myrrh, burnt eggshells, crushed animal bone ash, and oyster shells to make powders that can remove bad breath, as well as clean and polish teeth.

Homemade and manufactured tooth powders containing salt, chalk, or baking soda peaked in popularity in the 19th century.

Can be done at home

Today, tooth powders can be made at home from a wide variety of ingredients, such as:

  • Baking soda
  • Coarse salt
  • Activated carbon powder
  • Flavors

Some people add essential oils for flavor and health benefits, such as peppermint or clove, as well as a sweetener like xylitol.

Available from specialist retailers or online

Tooth powder can also be bought in some specialty stores on-line. Some tooth powders made contain caries-fighting fluoride, but others don’t.

Typical ingredients include detergents and abrasives designed to polish teeth and remove surface stains. Some ingredients that you can expect in commercially made tooth powder are:

  • Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
  • Activated carbon
  • Bentonite clay

These products also contain flavors.

Tooth powder needs water

Unlike toothpaste, tooth powder requires adding water to brush your teeth.

To use, sprinkle the recommended amount of powder, usually about an eighth of a teaspoon, on a wet toothbrush and brush your teeth as usual.

Toothpaste began to replace tooth powder around 1850 and was originally sold in jars.

Early forms of toothpaste often contained ingredients like chalk and soap. These early cleaners and whiteners were often found in toothpaste until the early 20th century when the use of detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate became commonplace. Fluoride was introduced in 1914.

Even today, sodium lauryl sulfate and fluoride are typically found in many brands of toothpaste. Other ingredients include thickeners, humectants, and flavorings of various kinds.

While there are plenty of studies showing the importance of brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, there aren’t many that contrast the benefits of toothpaste over tooth powder.

However, two studies (one from 2014 and one from 2017) developed by the same lead researcher found that tooth powder was more effective than toothpaste at removing surface stains from teeth and controlling gingivitis caused by plaque .

Today’s toothpastes and tooth powders have many of the same ingredients, with the exception of fluoride. If fighting tooth decay is important to you, check the label of every product you buy to make sure it contains fluoride.

Tooth powders also do not contain ingredients that remove intrinsic and extrinsic stains. Many toothpastes don’t either. Intrinsic discolorations are those that occur within the tooth rather than on its surface.

The most common causes of intrinsic discoloration are some medications, too much fluoride, and tooth decay. Tobacco and some beverages like coffee, tea, and red wine can cause external stains.

If you’re considering using a tooth powder for stain removal, a whitening toothpaste might be better off for this purpose.

Both toothpaste and tooth powder have dental health benefits. Both can also contain ingredients that may be important to overall health. These include:

  • Triclosan. Triclosan is an antibacterial ingredient. It has been removed from most toothpaste formulations due to concerns about its ability to create antibiotic resistance as well as disrupt the function of thyroid hormones.
  • Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS). Some research suggests that this ingredient is safe to use and the fear of it is excessive. However, some people find that SLS is irritating to the skin and gums, and there is some scientific evidence to support this claim as well.
  • Fluoride. While it is generally accepted that fluoride is beneficial for dental health, some people have concerns about the side effects it can cause. These include discoloration or white spots on your teeth (dental fluorosis) and skeletal fluorosis, a bone disease. It’s worth noting that fluoride side effects are caused by ingestion of large amounts or by long-term exposure to high concentrations, not from the usual use of toothpaste.

Whether you are using toothpaste, tooth powder, or a combination of both, double-check the ingredients to make sure you are using a product that you are comfortable with.

Tooth powder preceded toothpaste by many centuries. It’s not widely used today, but it can still be bought online.

Both toothpaste and tooth powder have oral health benefits. Tooth powder has not been extensively studied. However, two small studies found that tooth powder is superior to toothpaste when it comes to reducing plaque and lightening external stains.

However, most tooth powder formulations do not contain fluoride or any type of caries-fighting ingredient. If tooth decay is a problem, it might be better to stick with toothpaste.

If you’re trying to avoid fluoride or want to control the ingredients you use, making tooth powder at home or buying a natural brand might be a better choice.

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