Does bifluoride and calcium toothpaste supplement fluoride and calcium?

A famous brand of "double fluoride plus calcium" toothpaste was once very popular. The main reason why people flocked to it was that "double fluoride plus calcium" seemed to indicate that this toothpaste could not only supplement fluoride but also calcium, and the fluoride was double fluoride! It really made people feel that the design of this toothpaste was full of sincerity, and the health care effect was self-evident.

However, can "double fluoride plus calcium" toothpaste really provide comprehensive insurance in preventing tooth decay as people imagine?

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Fluoride and calcium, what is their relationship with tooth decay?

The general process of tooth decay is that oral bacteria (caries-causing bacteria) ferment the fermentable carbohydrates in food, thereby producing acidic substances, which can corrode teeth and eventually lead to tooth decay. Therefore, the principle of tooth decay can be summarized as the four-factor theory, that is, the factors that determine whether tooth decay occurs or not are bacteria, food, host and time.

Teeth, as the protagonist of host factors, are the hardest organs in the body. Their strong physique is closely related to their high inorganic content. Among them, calcium and phosphorus are the main components of inorganic matter, and the two exist together in the form of hydroxyapatite. If the calcium content of teeth is relatively high, the enamel will be more resistant to acidic corrosion. Although fluoride is not the main component of teeth, it is of great significance to enhance the acid resistance of teeth.

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Fluoride and calcium are both in ionic form and are good for dental health

As the protective layer of teeth, the calcium content of enamel is basically fixed after the teeth erupt. In other words, even if calcium is supplemented, the calcium content of enamel will not increase. However, under the influence of changes in the oral environment, the surface of enamel will undergo dynamic changes of demineralization or remineralization. Demineralization is often the result of the oral pH value dropping to a certain level, and the rich calcium and phosphorus ions in the oral environment are conducive to remineralization, and fluoride ions are boosters of the remineralization process.

Therefore, what can effectively maintain the health of tooth enamel is that both fluoride and calcium exist in ionic form.

Does bifluoride and calcium toothpaste supplement fluoride and calcium?

The key to determining whether the answer to this question is yes or no is what kind of fluoride and calcium are in the toothpaste.

First of all, the purpose of designing fluoride toothpaste is to provide a microenvironment with a high fluoride ion content for teeth. The fluoride in the so-called fluoride toothpaste is usually easily soluble sodium fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate, stannous fluoride, etc. that can dissociate fluoride ions, but it cannot be insoluble calcium fluoride. Therefore, bifluoride plus calcium toothpaste is no exception. It can definitely supplement fluoride, thereby preventing tooth decay by improving the local environment of the teeth.

So, what kind of calcium is in the double fluoride plus calcium toothpaste? The calcium in toothpaste is exactly the opposite of fluoride. It often exists in the form of insoluble calcium salts. These calcium-containing compounds, including calcium carbonate, calcium hydrogen phosphate, calcium pyrophosphate, etc., are used as abrasives to remove bacteria, so their existence is not for calcium supplementation.

So, the truth about double fluoride plus calcium toothpaste is that it supplements fluoride but not calcium! Did you guess it right?