toothpaste

Solar Toothbrush Cleans with Electrons, Not Toothpaste

August 22, 2010 By Julie Frey 4 Comments

Toothbrush technology just took a major leap forward with the introduction of a solar-powered toothbrush that cleans with electrons rather than toothpaste.

Canadian researchers teamed with a Japanese manufacturer to create the "Soladey-J3X," which uses light to send electrons down the bristles. Plaque breaks down when the electrons react with acid in the mouth.

The brush is also designed to kill two types of bacteria involved in gum disease.

The researchers are about to begin testing the solar toothbrush on a sample of teenagers. It is not publicly available at this time.

Filed Under: Science & Technology Tagged With: toothbrush, toothbrushes, toothpaste

Dentist Nanosilver Recommendations Are Hard To Come By

June 29, 2010 By Julie Frey 3 Comments

Only 6% of dentists said they would recommend nanosilver toothpaste to a patient, this survey found. On the other hand, 26% would recommend against it, and fully two out of three (69%) said they don’t know enough about it to make a recommendation.

“There is not enough scientific evidence that it is more efficacious than other more proven products,” said one dentist, “and there's some disturbing evidence that it might do harm.”

“As my professional duty to every individual I serve, I could not recommend nanoproducts without evidence-based guidelines for them,” said another. “My first duty to the person who is my patient is to do no harm.”

Read the full results from this survey: Dentists Reluctant To Recommend Nanosilver Toothpaste

In addition, you may be interested in additional articles from The Wealthy Dentist on silver nanotechnology:

Filed Under: Dental Surveys Tagged With: dentist, nano silver, nanomaterials, nanotech, nanotechnology, toothpaste

Dentists: Is Nano Silver the New Amalgam?

June 1, 2010 By Jim Du Molin 13 Comments

Is Nano Silver the New Amalgam?

Last week we started talking about silver nanoparticles, which are showing up in all sorts of consumer products these days because of their antibacterial properties. But there's still a lot we don't know about this emerging nanotechnology.

What do silver nanoparticles have to do with dentistry?

Over-the-counter dental products are getting in on the silver ion craze. You can buy nano silver toothpaste and nano silver toothbrushes.

Most of these products seem to be manufactured in South Korea. International import laws aren't entirely clear, but one Russian website says, "We can export our Nano Silver Toothpaste to Chile, Algeria, Monaco, Latvia, Morocco, South Africa, and Armenia."

While you can't yet pick up nano silver toothpaste in major US grocery chains, you can find all this stuff online from sellers who will happily ship to US addresses. (I've also seen some of these products for sale in San Francisco's Japantown.)

It is nearly impossible to find information about these consumer products except what the manufacturers have to say. But the data they offer isn't particularly informative… Here are some dental products containing nano silver, and how their manufacturers describe the products. (Note: all content [sic].)

Magic Silver Plus Nano-silver Toothpaste
Summitek Inc. (South Korea)
"Magic silver toothpaste remarkably enables to whiten teeth, have strong teeth and clear oral cavity, and prevent from tooth-decay and bad odor. Especially, this functional silver toothpaste, eliminates tooth plaque and prevents disease." (more info /how to buy)

Nanover Nano-silver Toothpaste
GNS Nanogist (South Korea)
"Nano silver prevents gum inflammation, periodontitis, periodontal disease in sterilizing and disinfecting the bacilli that is a major cause for all gum disease by pure silver of purity 99.9% included in the toothpaste, which is known as excellent nature antibiotics against each pathogenic organ such as virus, bacilli and colitis germs. Protects your teeth from tartar build-up, fights cavities, freshens breath, and whitens teeth by gently removing surface stains by double effect of propolis and protein silver. Protein silver is a natural antibiotic sterilizer which has excellent immunity and sterilizing power. Xylitol does an important part which strengthens prevention against decay of teeth. Chitosan is a very important raw material which hardly has an immune reaction." (more info / how to buy)

Oragan Nano Silver Toothpaste
LK Trading Co. (South Korea)
"New concept functional toothpaste containing pure silver of transparent component without pigments, displays an excellent efficiency in getting rid of plaque, tooth-decay, odor, and whitening teeth." (more info)

NANO-SIL silver nano toothpaste NANO-SIL Toothpaste
Nano Plasma Center Co., Ltd (South Korea)
"Brightens & Whitens teeth without peroxide while preventing cavities and plaque formation. Keeps clean and fresh oral hygiene. Removes halitosis. Protects against dental cavities.
Protect against absorption of the pollutants such as nicotine plaque. A catalyst consolidation which is the BIO. Makes the living body rhythm good. The silver no has strong sterilization facility and antibacterial effect." (how to buy)

Ag+ Toothpaste
Ace Silver Plus (South Korea)
"Silver products such as toothpaste, soap, toothbrush. All made from Colloidal Silver called Nature Antibiotic, which is powerful, universal prophylactic and antibiotic, save, non-toxic, non-accumulative substance and can kills over 650 different pathogens. Based on benefit of silver property, our Nano Silver Products are certified in conformity with FDA Approval (USA), CE and ISO and best products dealing with wide popularity on home-shopping, Cable TV, Internet Shopping Mall and Network Company. These Nano Silver Products are widely exporting to USA, Japan, Europe, Middle East Asia, and talking with Southeast Asia as well." (more info)

Mouth Watchers Nano-Silver Toothbrush
Mouth Watchers (UK & USA)
"Enjoy healthier teeth, gums and general health with our antibacterial nano-silver toothbrush. Our innovative nano-silver bristles reduce bacteria on the toothbrush by 99.9% within 6 hours to help your teeth and gums stay healthier. The pure silver that is impregnated into the bristles of the Mouth Watchers toothbrush gives the bristles a natural color." (product info)

Nano Gold Anti Bacterial Toothbrush
Clean Up (South Korea)
"Our company uses only edible gold that is purely 99.9% gold composition for the product with no harm to the human duct of the integrity of our company and the audience-proof with a big-time product within the company… In comparison with the other toothbrush, our toothbrush’s sterilizing power/antiseptic is better than any other toothbrush due to the aura of the negative ion/anion." (how to buy)

Next week we'll take a look at the science and laws behind nanotech products — particularly consumer products containing silver.

What do you think about these dental products?

Filed Under: Dental Editorials Tagged With: nano silver, nanotechnology, toothbrushes, toothpaste

Dentists Agree: The Toothpaste You Use Matters (VIDEO)

January 22, 2009 By Julie Frey 1 Comment

The average dentist thinks that toothpaste choice is an important part of one’s overall dental health. In this survey, dentists were asked if they feel it matters which type of toothpaste one uses.

Two-thirds of the dentists agreed that, thanks to modern technology, some toothpastes are more effective than others. The remaining 35% felt that any toothpaste you buy today will clean your teeth perfectly well.

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: toothpaste

Melodrama in the Toothpaste Aisle

May 22, 2007 By Jim Du Molin 1 Comment

Editorial
by Jim Du Molin

You’ll remember that last week we surveyed dentists on the importance of toothpaste and whether it really matters which brand of toothpaste you use. Two out of three dentists agreed that, thanks to modern technology, not all toothpaste brands are equal. However, they didn’t seem to agree on which brands are best or which ingredients (besides fluoride, a debate unto itself) are most important.

Some dentists questioned whether toothpaste was even necessary, arguing that the friction of the toothbrush was far more significant. One dentist even reported having good results with patients who brush with Ivory soap. (Doing that would make me feel like a dirty-mouthed child being punished!)

“Cola Wars” Part II: The Battle Over Toothpaste

Toothpaste has been on my mind lately, even more so since I read about the advertising feud between Crest and Colgate. The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus officially recommended that Procter & Gamble stop making claims that suggest its Crest Pro-Health toothpaste is recommended by dentists.

The back-story? Colgate has been losing market share to Crest lately (even though, to be honest, Colgate was the brand most mentioned by dentists in our Wealthy Dentist survey). Colgate responded by challenging a number of Crest’s advertising claims.

The NAD sided with Colgate on a number of points, writing, “The concept of a dentist recommending the results or ‘benefits’ themselves… is counterintuitive. Patients do not need dentists telling them that they do not want plaque-covered teeth or foul-smelling breath.”

Colgate itself is still reeling from being warned earlier this year by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to stop claiming that four out five dentists recommend its brand.

In Colgate’s annual poll of dentists, respondents are asked which toothpastes they would recommend from a list of major brands. Just over 80% selected Colgate, more than any other brand. However, the difference between Colgate and Crest was only a few percentage points. The ASA determined Colgate’s “4 out of 5 dentists” claim to be misleading to consumers.

Jim Du Molin