CHEMICALS IN TOOTHPASTE

Emma Chen

Summary

Toothpaste is basically a gel or paste dentifrice used with toothbrush to maintain oral hygiene and clean our teeth and gum.

fluoride

Abrasives

Surfactants

Fluoride

What fluoride does is that helps strengthening the enamel of your teeth, which is why it is important. Fluoride can act as a base. It can combine with proton (H+). The formula is F– + H+ → HF. By a process of remineralisation the fluoride turns into fluoride rich compounds known as apatite. This in turn strengthens the enamel, protecting it from dissolving in acid.

Abrasives

Abrasives help to clean your teeth by removing plaque stains, polishing your teeth and most importantly getting rid of those nasty remnants of that delicious food you have been eating. Toothpaste contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as a "polishing agent" to remove plaque and other matter from teeth. (As the hardness of CaCO3 is less than that of tooth enamel but more than that of the contaminating agent.)

Surfactants

surfactants are present in toothpaste to loose the stuck food and plaque so that your toothpaste can whisk it away. There are always 1-3% surfactants in the toothpaste. After the debris has been scraped off the tooth enamel tissue by the brush bristles and paste abrasives, it goes in to the bulk “brushing solution”. This debris interacts with the surfactant to form a small number of micelles. (molecules remove nasty stains)(work with fluoride)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak22Lkk1yIs

Why does Toothpaste Make Orange Juice Taste Bad ?

Implication

Toothpaste acts as a base, which neutralize the acids in our mouth. This topic is so important because it is connected with out daily life. We have food everyday and most of the food we consume are composed of different types of food acid, toothpaste can work to prevent decalcification or tooth decay.

Work Cited

Hefferren, John. "Laboratory Analysis of Toothpastes Containing Anticaries Agents." Journal of the society of cosmetic chemists. 18.Feb.5 (1967): 135-140. Print. <http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1967/cc018n02/p00135-p00140.pdf? origin=publication_detail>."What makes toothpaste work?." The human touch of chemistry. N.p.. Web. 12 Apr 2014. <http://humantouchofchemistry.com/what-makes-toothpaste-work.htm>."How does toothpaste works?." Chemistry in my daily life. Yewhong Charles Choong, 13 May 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://chemistry-kiddo.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-does-toothpaste-works.html>.