Why You Should Be Saving Your Pennies When it Comes to Buying Toothpaste
In the UK we spend more than £3 billion per year on health and beauty products, but is it really worth shelling out for premium products or could you be saving yourself a small fortune by opting for budget brands?
When it comes to buying toothpaste, you will probably have noticed that there are hundreds of different types, brands and flavours available and the prices range from less than 50 pence to more than £3 per tube. It’s tempting to believe that paying more will do more for your oral health, but the reality is that most dentists agree that many of the products are essentially very similar.
Dr Ben Atkins, from the Revive Dental Care practice in Manchester, said that fundamentally, as long as the toothpaste contains fluoride, there is very little point in paying over the odds and a budget brand costing less than 50pence will work exactly the same way as a more expensive product. Dr Atkins encouraged patients to check the labels to ascertain whether the levels of fluoride are the same and then opt for the cheaper product. Usually, the main differences are the flavour and packaging.
Dr Atkins’ statements are backed up by Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific advisor to the British Dental Association, who agrees that the prices usually reflect branding and packaging, rather than quality. Some products do contain extra ingredients, such as potassium nitrate, which reduces sensitivity, but if you have pain as a result of decay, no amount of toothpaste will help.
Professor Walmsley also urged people to focus on oral hygiene to prevent discolouration, rather than forking out for expensive whitening toothpaste, as there is very little evidence to suggest that they have any effect.
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