Specialty toothpaste brands can bust up bad breath

What toothpaste brands are you familiar with? If you haven't yet switched to specialty toothpastes and toothgels, chances are good that you've only every tried a few kinds. You can probably call them to mind right this second - their splashy labels, bluish color schemes, flashy guarantees and big price tags. But do they really get rid of bad breath?

It depends on how you define "get rid of." After all, if common toothpaste brands eliminate halitosis for a day or so, some people might consider that a success. At TheraBreath, we're not content with such lackluster performance. Our toothpastes are designed to reduce oral odor both now and in the long run.

What's in a toothpaste? Most of the effective pastes and gels begin with fluoride, an enamel-preserving agent that has been included in toothpastes and powder for decades. In fact, fluoride-based compounds are so good at preventing cavities that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called fluoride therapy one of the "ten great public health achievements" of the 20th century.

The agency reports that since fluoridation began in 1945, the practice has reduced childhood cavities by between 40 and 70 percent, and adult tooth loss by about one-half! As you can see, any toothpaste worth its salt will contain sodium fluoride. But other than that, common pastes and specialty toothpaste brands have little else in common.

A typical off-the-shelf brand relies on abrasives to clean teeth. This ingredient consists of microscopic, sand- or grit-like particles, which scour your teeth and gums. While this process works well enough, it doesn't do anything to deter bacteria from coming back.

Specialty toothpaste brands utilize abrasives too, but they don't stop there. The best pastes and gels include all-natural ingredients designed to flush out microbes and keep the mouth smelling fresh. They also dispense with harsh chemicals like alcohol and sodium lauryl sulfate, and allergens like benzalkonium chloride.