Here’s What You Should Look For In Toothpaste and Mouthwash, and Our Top Picks

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Toothpastes can help prevent cavities, reduce tooth sensitivity, reduce bleeding gums, and clean and whiten teeth, but there are benefits and risk associated with the ingredients used to accomplish these goals. In this article, we discuss which ingredients you may want in your toothpaste and which you may want to avoid. We also explain whether any toothpastes can "restore enamel" and discuss which types of toothpaste gels, pastes, or tablets are best for veneers and crowns and whether people with such dental restorations should use mouthwash along with brushing. We also include our Top Picks for toothpastes for various dental needs, including cavity prevention, gum bleeding, sensitivity, whitening, and bad breath. We also include answers to frequently asked questions about toothpaste and other dental products.

Sign in as a ConsumerLab member for the details, including examples of toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouth rinses and other oral products from Apagard, Arm & Hammer, Bazooka, Bioniq, Biotene, Boka, Burt's Bees, CloSYS, Colgate, Crest, Davids, Elevate (Allday), Fluoridex, Fygg, hello, Himalaya Botanique, Dr Jen, Kinder Karex, Living well with Dr. Michelle, Lumineux, Made By Dentists, Moon, OraCoat, Oral B, Parodontax, Peelu, quip, Redmond, Rembrant, Remin, Risewell, Sensodyne (and Sensodyne ProNamel), Smileactives, Sonicare, The Natural Dentist, TheraBreath, Tom's of Maine, and X-Pur. It also includes our Top Picks among anticavity, desensitizing, antigingivitis, and whitening toothpastes, as well as our Top Pick product for dry mouth and bad breath.

In addition, we discuss anticavity agents (such as fluoride, xylitol, hydroxyapatite - including nano-hydroxyapatite, and theobromine), desensitizing agents (such as potassium nitrate, calcium sodium phosphosilicate, stannous fluoride, strontium, arginine, and fluoro calcium phosphosilicate [BioMin F]), abrasive agents (such as baking soda, charcoal, calcium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels, hydrated aluminum oxides, magnesium carbonate, phosphate salts, sea salt, silicates and diatomaceous earth), whitening agents (peroxides, including hydrogen peroxide rinses), tartar-control agents, antigingivitis ingredients (such as stannous fluoride, triclosan, chlorhexidine, essential oils and salt water rinses), cleaning agents such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and edathamil, flavoring agents (such as xylitol and sugar), coloring agents such as titanium dioxide, inactive ingredients such as glycerin (glycerol), the safety and effectiveness of "natural" toothpastes as well as tooth powders, and the effectiveness of toothpastes, salivary stimulants, and oral moisturizers for dry mouth, including Allday Dry Mouth Spray, Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse, Biotene Fresh Mint Original Fluoride Toothpaste, CloSYS Sensitive Toothpaste with Fluoride, Colgate Prevident 5000 Dry Mouth, Sensodyne Fresh Mint Toothpaste, sorbitol, xylitol, and XyliMelts, as well as possible side effects from chewing gum or candies for dry mouth. We also discuss treatments for bad breath, including CloSYS Sensitive Rinse, CloSYS Silver Multi-Benefit Fluoride Rinse, and TheraBreath Fresh Breath Oral Rinse, as well as details about the safety and effectiveness of nighttime teeth guards ordered online, whether people who drink water with low or no fluoride should take a fluoride supplement, if water flossers such as Waterpik or Philips Sonicare Cordless Power Flosser work better than string floss, and whether using a mixture of turmeric and coconut oil can help whiten teeth.