Toothpaste and Abrasion

Categories: Oral Health

Toothpaste is a great product that we all use several times a day. Unfortunately, some toothpastes can be detrimental to your teeth. Many of the “whitening” toothpastes are abrasive and remove enamel as well as stains. Our recommendation from Dr. Bruce Stewart’s office is that you stay away from highly abrasive toothpastes because they can remove the polish and luster of porcelain veneers and are not good for natural teeth.

The Federal Drug Administration and the American Dental Association have come up with a system to measure the abrasive level of toothpastes, which is called the RDA value. The lower the RDA value, the gentler the toothpaste is on your teeth. If a toothpaste has an RDA rating over 100 it is considered to be abrasive. Below are the RDA values for some toothpastes. If you would like more information on this, we have a longer list at the office. We can provide more detailed scientific information about the RDA ratings to those who may be interested, just ask your hygienist about the study the next time you are in the office.

Toothpaste / RDA Value

Straight Baking Soda / 07
Arm & Hammer Tooth Powder / 08
CloSYS / 53
Colgate Regular / 68
Colgate Total / 70
Sensodyne / 79
Aim / 80
Aquafresh Sensitive / 91
Crest Regular / 95
Sensodyne Extra Whitening / 104
Crest Sensitivity / 107
Aquafresh Whitening / 113
Colgate Whitening / 124
Crest Extra Whitening / 130
Colgate Tarter Control / 165
Colgate 2-in-1 Tarter Control/White / 200