Is baking soda toothpaste really a toothpaste that damages teeth?

People's knowledge and understanding of toothpaste is mostly based on relevant information on the Internet. Unfortunately, this information often lacks reliable scientific basis and is actually misleading the public.

One of them is that "long-term use of baking soda toothpaste will corrode teeth." This statement was made by some medical experts.

Since the experts have said so, it should be a done deal. But in fact, is baking soda toothpaste really "damaging to teeth"? Is it reasonable to use baking soda as a toothpaste ingredient? What are its real pros and cons?

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The Corrosiveness of Baking Soda

The corrosiveness of a substance is often related to its acidity or alkalinity. The stronger its acidity or alkalinity, the more corrosive it is. As we all know, the chemical composition of baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which is essentially a salt. It is only weakly alkaline after dissolving in water, and its solubility in water is not high, so the alkalinity generated is not very strong. Therefore, it is not difficult to confirm that baking soda, as an ingredient in toothpaste, does not pose a great risk of corrosion to teeth.

What makes teeth more damaged is often acid.

Among the factors that may cause damage to teeth, the role of acid cannot be underestimated. Generally speaking, there are two types of acidic substances that may appear in the mouth: one is the acidic substances contained in the food itself (such as lemon and vinegar); the other is the acidic substances produced after the fermentable carbohydrates in the food (such as starch and sucrose) are fermented by cariogenic bacteria in the mouth. As these acidic substances continue to accumulate, the pH value of the oral environment will continue to decrease. When it reaches a certain level, it will cause tooth decalcification and induce corresponding dental diseases. The dental disease caused by the first type of acidic substances is called erosion, and the dental disease caused by the second type of acidic substances is the well-known tooth decay. In either case, if the accumulation process of acidic substances cannot be curbed in a timely and effective manner, it will eventually cause devastating damage to the tooth structure.

Acid erosion Source: Wikipedia

As mentioned above, baking soda can be weakly alkaline after being dissolved in water. Therefore, when baking soda is used as a toothpaste ingredient, it can provide a certain weak alkalinity to the oral environment, thereby weakening the destructive power of acidic substances in the mouth on teeth. This effect has a positive significance for preventing acid erosion or tooth decay.

The Real Use of Baking Soda in Toothpaste

The baking soda in toothpaste, like calcium carbonate, hydrated silica and other substances, exists as an abrasive ingredient in toothpaste.

The abrasives in toothpaste are often not easily soluble in water. Only in this way can they, in the form of particles, generate sufficient friction on the stains on the surface of the teeth to remove the stains.

Unlike abrasives such as calcium carbonate and hydrated silica, which are insoluble in water, baking soda is somewhat soluble, so it is milder than other abrasives. Therefore, from the perspective of abrasives, baking soda toothpaste is the least harmful to teeth, which makes it more suitable for people with fragile teeth (such as those with severely worn teeth that have exposed dentin).

Correspondingly, baking soda has the weakest cleaning power. Therefore, many so-called baking soda toothpastes often use baking soda and other types of abrasives together, so that abrasives of different hardness can complement each other and maximize the effectiveness and safety of the abrasives.

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This type of people may not be suitable for using baking soda toothpaste

Although baking soda does have certain advantages as a toothpaste ingredient from the perspective of the safety of abrasives and its own weak alkalinity, there is a group of people who may not be suitable for using baking soda toothpaste, and that is patients with periodontitis.

This is because the bacteria that cause periodontitis have the ability to decompose protein substances, thereby producing alkaline substances such as ammonia. Therefore, the oral environment of patients with periodontitis is often alkaline, which is also one of the important reasons for the continuous deposition of dental calculus.

Baking soda, as a toothpaste ingredient that can become weakly alkaline when dissolved in water, is likely to further increase the pH value of the oral environment of patients with periodontitis, making it more conducive to the formation of dental calculus. In addition, as an abrasive with weak stain removal power, baking soda has no advantages in removing dental plaque and preventing the formation of dental calculus.

Do you understand now? Baking soda toothpaste is not a toothpaste that "harms teeth". On the contrary, in most cases, it is the least damaging to teeth and even helps protect teeth from acid damage. But nothing is omnipotent, and there are people who are not suitable for baking soda toothpaste. Therefore, if you fully understand your own oral problems and understand the nature of toothpaste, you will choose the right toothpaste that is truly suitable for you.