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Dental Hygiene

Toothpaste

01/18/2007

Question:

i am doing a science fair project on toothpaste. I am going to if the toothpaste really whitens any more that just the plain old realular toothpaste with all the regular ingredients. My question is if i soak all of the eggs in coffe for a day or two that would show the coffee stain and see if which one will whiten the best. i need to know wat are the active ingredients that make the plain toothpaste different from the whitening toothpaste. if u hav time could u plz rply aspa THanks

Answer:

Yes, soaking the eggs in coffee will stain them.  It may take longer than a day or two.  I would say a week.  Some whitening toothpastes have hydrogen peroxide in them.  Some toothpastes claim they whiten teeth, but they actually have abrasives in them that remove stains and plaque. Common abrasives include calcium phosphates, alumina, calcium carbonate, and silica. Toothpaste should be abrasive enough to remove plaque and stains, but not abrasive enough to damage tooth enamel.

I hope this helps!

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Response by:

Michele P Carr, RDH, MA Michele P Carr, RDH, MA
Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene
Associate Professor of HS Nursing Quality & Research
College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University