Best Toothpaste For Veneers: Dr. Catrise Austin Talks With Dr. Mina Kim

If you're like most people, you want to keep your teeth as healthy and as white as possible. That's why so many people are interested in finding the best toothpaste for veneers. Veneers are a great way to improve the look of your smile, but it's important to make sure you're using the right toothpaste to protect them. In this blog post, we'll discuss some of the best kinds of toothpaste for veneers and how they can help keep your smile looking its best.

I'm super excited to have one of my dear friends and colleagues, Dr. Mina Kim here, and I was inspired to do this blog post and podcast episode when I saw her featured in an article in Bustle magazine and the article was about the best toothpaste for your porcelain veneers. Now, I have porcelain veneers, so this was especially interesting for me, but it is one of the questions that I get from patients all the time. So we're going to talk about it.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

When I saw the article and I saw your name in it, I'm like, "I know her, I know her." And it's so important to take care of your veneers because people invest a lot of money. We're in New York City, veneers can cost anywhere between 2,000 to $4,000 per tooth with most people getting at least six, many people will do the whole mouth which will end up being about 20 veneers so this is an investment and when we make that investment in our mouths, we want to definitely make sure that we're taking care of it the best way possible.

I am so excited to talk about three kinds of toothpaste and some more that are good for your dental veneers. So in general, when you're brushing your teeth, when you're taking care of your veneers, you definitely want to do the same exact things that you do with your normal, natural teeth, brushing, flossing, rinsing your mouth to get rid of the bacteria in all of your mouth, and cleaning your tongue and we'll talk about this a little bit later. But let's talk about that toothpaste.

What Is Your Favorite Type Of Toothbrush?

Are You A Manual Type Of Gal, or Are You A Sonic Or Electric Tooth Brusher?

Dr. Mina Kim:

My preference personally is the Sonicare because I think most people brush too hard. I'm sure you see this with your patients.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Oh yeah. And when they come in and the first thing that they say is, "Oh, my teeth are sensitive doc." It's usually because they're either brushing too hard or using the wrong textured manual brush. My advice is don't use a hard bristle toothbrush. Don't use a medium and I know it makes sense, right doc? The harder the brush, the better it should brush your teeth, right? But those bristles that are medium or hard are way too hard for the enamel.

Dr. Mina Kim:

No. Save those for scrubbing your jewelry or scrubbing floors. That is not for your teeth. The best way to explain it, I think is that plaque is soft. Plaque should be able to be removed with a soft touch. Anything that you cannot remove by gently brushing your teeth, you need to go see your dentist because you should not have anything at home that you can remove any buildup with.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Right and that's why the second step of flossing is super important because a lot of times we get the plaque that's soft above the gum line, but we're not getting below the gum and removing that bacteria and it's just as important. I would even say even more important to get below the gums where that foundation is, the bone, and the fibers that are holding that tooth to the bone. If you don't get rid of the plaque and tartar in that area, man, you are going to start to get bone loss, severe infections, and then your whole veneer investment is really in jeopardy.

Dr. Mina Kim:

I agree. So many patients don't floss as much or as well as they should, but that's really reaching the areas that your brush isn't and it's the best way to think about it.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Yeah. These are my favorite, the flossers. You get a bag of these or a box of these and you have your little toothpick on one side. So you can literally get between the teeth and get those crevices, but then you take the floss, and it's just "grab and go". You take the floss and you get in between, hold it against a tooth, like a C and just, you're cleaning the sides of the tooth. That's what we want to do.

We don't want any sugar, plaque, any food particles, we don't want anything in that area. So a lot of people say, "Oh, I go zigzag." And I'm like, "Oh, you're flossing, but then you're not doing it properly."

So up and down, that space is vertical. And that way you can save the bone and the fibers and save your teeth so those beautiful veneers that are above the gums can last for a lifetime.

How Long Do Veneers Last?

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Do you get this question all the time, doc, how long do veneers last?

Dr. Mina Kim:

Definitely. And I think it's largely dependent on the patient's maintenance.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

That's it. And that's why this article was super important because it's about maintenance. So let's talk about some of the best toothpaste for veneers that we recommend and some of the factors that we want to look at when we're thinking about the toothpaste to care for our porcelain veneers. Now in the article, there were three recommendations we'll go through. We'll talk about that,  but the one thing I want to get into is, there's a chart and a measure by which we determine which toothpastes are safer for the teeth and veneers and that's called the Relative Dentin Abrasivity, right? Can you explain what the RDA is?

What is Relative Dentin Abrasivity (RDA)?

Dr. Mina Kim:

Sure. RDA simply put, all it is a measurement of how gritty your toothpaste is. Think about sandpaper. It comes in fine, extra-fine, and coarse. Toothpaste is the same way and you want to pick something with a low RDA, and that's from zero to 70 is in your lower range.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

When I looked at the RDA chart, I saw something very interesting. The thing that had the lowest RDA was brushing your teeth and your veneers with just the toothbrush and water. That has the lowest chances of harming your teeth and veneers. What do you think about that? Have you ever brushed your teeth without any type of toothpaste, just water?

Dr. Mina Kim:

I always use toothpaste. If you're in a position where you don't have toothpaste, it's better than not brushing at all. But toothpaste has things like fluoride, which I consider to be like vitamins for your teeth that help make them stronger, and having a stronger base under those veneers is going to help them to last longer. So I do recommend using toothpaste.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Now, you just said the F word, and a lot of our listeners and readers out here, have some thoughts about fluoride. The ADA still recommends fluoride toothpaste, is that correct?

Dr. Mina Kim:

That is correct.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Why is it that so many people have problems with fluoride? They say it's harmful. It's toxic to your body. Why do we continue to stand by our fluoride recommendations?

Dr. Mina Kim:

Fluoride in large amounts is toxic but you and me, we can probably, for whatever reason, if we decided to eat a whole tube of toothpaste, we would still probably survive.  But then a little child, that's small like a baby, if they potentially eat a lot of toothpaste, they can actually die. So yes, fluoride in large amounts is toxic, but so are a lot of things. Chocolate bars, Alcohol, a lot of things.

The important part is to use it according to the ADA, which is the American Dental Association's recommendations. And the recommendation is, you're going to use a little more than a pea-size amount, and you only need a small amount, it goes a long way.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

That is correct. So for those who are a little hesitant, it was added to our water, most areas, definitely our metropolitan areas, we have it in our water and I must say, when I have patients come in, those who don't drink our city water, fluoridated water, I tend to see more cavities. That's one of the things that I ask. Do you drink bottled water or tap water? And a lot of times the people who have more cavities tend to drink bottled water and I do see a big difference.

I think it is helpful to reduce cavities, especially if you are cavity prone. I think it is beneficial, but I know a lot of people listening and reading, I'm probably going to get a lot of comments, "fluoride toothpaste. Oh my God, she recommended I use fluoride" but I don't know, the community still stands by fluoride so we got to share what the science says.

Dr. Mina Kim:

And I use fluoride toothpaste. Not only do I drink tap water, rinse with tap water, use fluoride toothpaste, I also use a fluoride mouth rinse.

Best Toothpaste For Veneers

1. Sensodyne Pronamel

Dr. Catrise Austin:

So the first is Sensodyne Pronamel. Sensodyne is tried and true, especially if you have sensitivity. Now, a lot of times when we place the veneers, our patients will have a little sensitivity for a day or two. Everybody responds differently, but it's not uncommon. Any time you have any dental work, or there's any type of drilling to your teeth, any alteration to the tooth structure, I always tell people, "Don't be surprised if you experience a little sensitivity for the first day or two days, sometimes longer. If you came in with sensitive teeth, you may leave or continue to have sensitive teeth." And I just love Sensodyne Pronamel and one of the things that it does is it puts a protective coating over the nerve. So it puts a barrier over the nerve.

If you're not familiar with the tooth, you have the outside enamel and then underneath that, and that outside enamel is naturally white. The inside of the tooth is naturally yellow, that's called the dentin so when you guys are trying to whiten your teeth, that's the area where the peroxide and whitening agent is working.

And then right underneath that area is the nerve. So a lot of times, if you have sensitivity before I do a professional teeth whitening, or I do any extensive cosmetic dental work, I'll recommend that you use a formula like Sensodyne Pronamel so you can get that protective layer over the nerves and when we're working with you, you'll have a more pleasant experience.

Cost of Sensodyne Pronamel

Now, let's talk about the cost. The cost for a three-pack if you go to Amazon is about $17, which is not bad, very much worth it so you're going to get some value for that three-pack of 17. The RDA value is 34 to 37, not bad.

Dr. Mina Kim:

And this is one of the lowest. I think Sensodyne, I recommend it, as you do, very often, because so many of my emergency patients come because they have sensitivity and sometimes this could be easily solved by using a toothpaste like Sensodyne. Not only can you brush with it, sometimes if you're going in a situation where you're very sensitive for a few days like everything cold is just really triggering you, you can also literally put the Sensodyne on your gums.

Sensodyne has an ingredient called potassium nitrate, and that's the ingredient that kind of forms a protective layer, that's going to help block some of the sensitive, the stuff that's making you really sensitive.

2. Premier Enamelon Fluoride Toothpaste

Dr. Catrise Austin:

The maker is Premier and you can find this on Amazon. It's not going to pop up as easily as some of the other kinds of toothpaste do, but you can find it and when you find it, you may experience a little bit of sticker shock because it is not cheap, but it gets great reviews as well.

Cost of Premier Enamelon Fluoride Toothpaste

The price is per tube, $23 per tube on Amazon. However, listen, this is all an investment so if you want a good toothpaste, that is going to be kind to your veneers, you may want to try Enamelon. What are your thoughts on Premier Enamelon, and the RDA value? I see it has an RDA rating of 39 out of 70. This is still great.

Dr. Mina Kim:

Yes, and anything up to 70 is still considered in the low range. Premier Enamelon is like a little bit more of your luxury brand. One extra benefit is that it's also good for dry mouth.

So if you also have a dry mouth, this may help you, instead of having to use this and maybe a rinse, sometimes this can help. Of course, you always need to consult with your dentist to see what's best for your particular case.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

It's expensive, but I use a small amount, which we recommend a pea-size amount with an electric toothbrush and it controls sensitivity very well. So we are going to give a thumbs up to Enamelon.

3. Tom's of Maine Children's Toothpaste

Dr. Catrise Austin:

So let's talk about the third toothpaste, which is also surprising. It's Tom's of Maine Children's Toothpaste. The strawberry flavor. Wow! I would've never thought Dr. Kim to use a children's toothpaste as an adult, but it's perfectly okay, right?

Dr. Mina Kim:

Definitely. And I think with the children's toothpaste, typically, there are formulations without fluoride. This one does have fluoride, but they're made to kind of taste better and with Tom's also, you have a lot more like natural ingredients. It's free of certain preservatives if that's something you're very conscious of.  So you can maybe feel a lot better about using this.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

You'll find Tom's of Maine definitely if you are a Whole Food's shopper, they always carry Tom's of Maine. Of course, it's on Amazon, but in the naturals sections of most dental toothpaste aisles, you will find Tom's and yes, they are known for being an organic or natural toothpaste and I love it.

Cost of Tom's of Maine Children's Toothpaste

Tom's of Maine Children's Toothpaste goes for $12 for a three-pack so this is very, very affordable. The RDA factor value is 57 so it's still well below 70. The strawberry, I wonder if it comes into multiple flavors, but the strawberry I can vouch for, it's good and this toothpaste has over 9,000 five-star reviews so that is saying something. The people have spoken.

Dr. Mina Kim:

Yeah. And you know, it's great too, because if you have children and a family, you can just share your toothpaste instead of having like four different kinds of toothpaste on your sink.

Dr. Catrise Austin:

Well, I want to thank you so much, Dr. Mina Kim, for joining me today. I am so happy to see you quoted, as a dental expert, the expert that you are,  and I get excited when I see consumer articles because a lot of the TV shows that are medically related, we don't always get a lot of dentistry topics so it's up to you and me, and other leaders in dentistry to continue to bring this type of information to consumers so that they have answers and they can make informed decisions. You can learn more about Dr. Mina Kim on Instagram at @drminakim or you can visit her website at bryantparkdental.com