Should your toothpaste have baking soda in it?

If you go to any regular drugstore for your toothpaste, you have probably seen toothpaste or dental products with baking soda included in them. But does the baking soda actually aid in your dental health? Is choosing a baking soda infused product the right decision for your teeth?

Baking Soda: The Back Story

Baking soda has been used as a typical ingredient in baking cakes and can be used to remove carpet stains or help with making your refrigerator smell fresh. Baking soda, also known as bicarbonate, can be used for many purposes, including:

• Elevating dough in baking
• Polishing silver
• Removing tough stains

The reason baking soda is added to toothpaste is typically for its whitening properties. The baking soda helps to balance out acid levels in the mouth which aids in reducing bad breath. You can even use baking soda to treat mouth sores. 

For these reasons, your dental provider may advocate for you to use toothpaste with baking soda in it for fresher breath, plaque removal, and whiter teeth. 

However, baking soda can be detrimental to your dental health. 

When used improperly, because of its mildly abrasive properties, baking soda can damage your enamel and gums. Vigorous brushing or improper brushing when using the product can erode the enamel. Baking soda can also remove bacterial plaque, but it does not necessarily control plaque buildup.

If the toothpaste you choose with baking soda does not also have fluoride, you cannot sufficiently strengthen your teeth, which means you are doing more harm than good using this baking soda-based product. 

Using baking soda, the right way

If you want the benefits of baking soda to assist in your dental hygiene routine, make sure you are searching for a product that includes sodium bicarbonate and fluoride that has been approved by the American Dental Association. 

If you need recommendations for the best toothpaste to use to care for your teeth, talk to your dental professional at The Complete Dentistry of Orland Park. We will recommend a list of our preferred dental hygiene products that you can safely use to clean, whiten, and reduce plaque.