Selling Points

Picking a toothpaste isn't as easy as it used to be.

This once-lowly staple has become big business, with annual sales of $1.5 billion. Toothpastes today come in a dizzying range of colors, flavors, and formulations. There are trendy dispensers for products that purport to whiten teeth, sweeten breath, calm sensitive molars, and even stop gum disease.

"As recently as 10 to 12 years ago, there wasn't that much of a choice for patients," says Dr. Kenneth Burrell, D.D.S., senior director of the American Dental Association (ADA)'s Council on Scientific Affairs.

The number of manufacturers hasn't grown significantly, but each has a longer list of offerings. There are seven kinds of Crest, made by Proctor and Gamble, which are further divided into gels and pastes -- some with baking soda and some without. Colgate-Palmolive Co. makes more than a dozen kinds of toothpaste. At least eight other serious contenders offer multiple formulations.

An ADA survey found that while more than half the adults in this country are increasingly concerned with caring for their teeth and gums, 56 percent were confused about what dental products to buy.

Do you really need all the extras on the end of your toothbrush? Which ingredients do what?

"There's a lot of hype about different and new things toothpastes do," says Dr. Eric Spieler, D.M.D., a dentist in Philadelphia who also lectures at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. "You can brush with plain old Acme fluoride toothpaste and have gorgeous teeth. If you brush and floss, use a regular toothpaste with fluoride, and get regular dental checkups -- you'll do fine."

William van Dyk, D.D.S., an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific in San Francisco and a dentist in San Pablo, California, says one difference is advertising. In the past, he explains, manufacturers emphasized various product attributes, such as spearmint taste or a clean, fresh feeling. Now, ad copy carries specific recommendations for conditions, such as gum disease or halitosis. "A lot of manufacturers are taking their claims to the public, instead of trying just to convince the dentist or hygienist," Dr. van Dyk says. "They are trying to go around the usual experts."

Of course, you may simply like the taste and feel of a premium product. This could easily translate into better oral health if it encourages you to brush. Parents may want to invest in a flavored children's toothpaste if it gets kids to brush.

Choosing a toothpaste is also highly personal, and may even tug some emotional strings. Lin Vickery of Lunenburg, Massachusetts, says she only buys "natural" children's toothpaste for her 4-year-old daughter because that's what her dentist recommends. But Lin also likes that the paste she buys has fewer artificial ingredients than others.

Any toothpaste you buy should contain certain ingredients proven to work. For signs of what to look for on your next shopping trip, click on one of the pages in this story at the top of this page.