Toothpaste is Bogus?
September 27, 2006 by John in Health-Medical
Freakonomics Blog » Dental Wisdom: “I was asking Dr. Reiss about the causes of tooth decay—genetics vs. diet, etc. etc.—when he began explaining why toothpaste is such a bogus product. Any claims that toothpaste makes about preventing decay, whitening teeth, etc., are totally falacious, Dr. Reiss told me, because the F.D.A. can’t and won’t allow the ingredients necessary to perform those chores in an over-the-counter product that children can easily get hold of. (That’s why he recommends an antibacterial product like GlyOxide, a fairly foul-tasting but apparently effective means of killing the bacteria that cause decay.)”
He goes on to say, “…saliva kills bacteria in the mouth, a lack of it means increased bacteria, which leads to increased tooth decay.”
I’ve always had very active salivary glands which is probably the only reason my teeth aren’t completely riddled with holes, or fillings I suppose.