Do whitening toothpaste make your teeth whiter?

Stiftung Warentest checks "whitening" toothpaste

09/26/2014

Stiftung Warentest has tested 20 whitening toothpastes. The conclusion of the consumer advocates: "Many toothpastes, which advertise with a white effect, remove discoloration on average better than the universal toothpastes from the test 2013. They can not whiten the natural shade of the teeth." Because none of the products examined contains a bleach that could cause a whitening of the teeth. Rather, put the supposed "whiteners" on the smallest plaster body that should rub off discoloration when brushing teeth.

Whitening creams contain no bleach
"A bright white smile," as promised in advertising, can not conjure up "whitening" toothpaste. This resulted in an investigation by Stiftung Warentest. Because none of the checked toothpastes can actually lighten the natural tone of the teeth. If you do not have white teeth by nature, you will not get them with expensive whitening toothpastes.

Although it is often misleadingly advertised on product packaging, none of the toothpastes tested actually contains bleach. In three of the 20 "whitening" toothpastes, which explicitly promise whiter teeth, the consumer advocates rightly subtracted points in the declaratory note. Because the toothpaste smile that they promise, they do not conjure up in the face. Other products only promised "whitening," noting that it was just natural teeth whitening.

Overall, the "Whiting" toothpaste in the test but relatively good, as almost all effectively prevent tooth decay and usually also better tooth discoloration than universal toothpastes, the Stiftung Warentest in the last year took a closer look. Winner of the test are the discounter products "Eurodont Fresh and White" from Aldi Nord, "K-Classic Dental Teeth Whitening" from Kaufland and "Dentabella" from Norma. The consumer advocates point out, however, that the toothpaste are not suitable for sensitive teeth.

Discolouration on the teeth are removed by cleaning bodies in "whitening" toothpastes
The teeth are surrounded by a so-called pellicle. This is a thin film of proteins of saliva, which lays on the tooth surfaces immediately after brushing. This thin cuticle has various protective functions, such as protection from abrasion by food or other teeth during chewing and acids. At the same time, however, bacteria can attach to this biofilm, so that the pellicle forms a kind of pad for the plaque. If we drink tea or red wine, the dyes in it also accumulate. The situation is similar with nicotine. The result is discoloration of the teeth. They appear more yellowish and darker.

The discolorations should be removed by a good toothpaste, the abrasion by the cleaning body should not be too strong, otherwise the enamel can be attacked. The degree of abrasion is influenced by the number, size and hardness of the cleaning bodies contained in the toothpaste. When brushing, they rub off the discoloration in the pellicle and make the teeth appear lighter. However, this is not a whitening, but merely a cleaning. This effect can be even more pronounced with professional dental cleaning in the dental practice, which, however, is less carried out for visual reasons. Rather, it is the dental prophylaxis in the foreground.

Optimal toothpaste with medium abrasion and good caries protection
So far, studies have proven that only one substance, the so-called Blue Coverin, actually makes the teeth look brighter. During tooth brushing, a thin film is placed around the teeth, reducing the perception of yellow and making the teeth whiter at times. But even Blue Coverin does not brighten the teeth, it's just an optical effect.

Stiftung Warentest advises toothpaste with medium abrasion and good caries protection. Most toothpastes in the test meet these criteria. Whether it really must be a "whitening" toothpaste, however, is questionable, especially since the price is usually higher than that of universal toothpaste.