What is the Difference Between Fluoride and Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste?

I’m sure you have long been told to brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste to prevent cavity formation, but did you know that there’s a new ingredient in town proven to be just as effective as fluoride and completely non-toxic? It’s called hydroxyapatite. What is hydroxyapatite toothpaste?

Read on below to learn about hydroxyapatite and take a look at how fluoride compares to it. 

How Does Fluoride Toothpaste Work?

Your teeth have an outer covering called enamel. Your enamel is made up of calcium and phosphate. Your saliva contains calcium and phosphate  too and your saliva is constantly bathing your teeth all the time, unless you have a serious case of dry mouth! These minerals keep your teeth strong.

However, bacteria that cause cavities can break down food particles and create an acidic environment within your mouth. This acidic environment can strip away these beneficial minerals from the enamel of your teeth. This is called demineralization.  

The fluoride in fluoridated toothpaste is effective because it works with the calcium and phosphate in your saliva and teeth to form a compound called fluorapatite while also covering the demineralized enamel with the more acid-resistant fluorapatite. This process remineralizes the teeth, restores their strength, and protects enamel from further damage by acids. 

How Does Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste Work?

Hydroxyapatite is a form of calcium that makes up the vast majority of your tooth enamel and most of the dentin of your teeth.  Hydroxyapatite is absorbed by the teeth and fills enamel fissures that are caused by demineralization. Toothpaste that contains nano-hydroxyapatite has particle sizes that are incredibly small,  between 20-80 nanometers (nm). Because of this it can insert into really small spaces, which leads to better benefits. 

Hydroxyapatite works by remineralizing enamel from within, reaching the innermost portions of a dental cavity and binding to plaque and harmful bacteria in our mouth

Benefits of Hydroxyapatite and Fluoride Toothpastes

• Both fluoride and hydroxyapatite can remineralize tooth structure. 

• Both hydroxyapatite and fluoride have antibacterial properties, fluoride kills decay-causing bacteria and some good bacteria. On the other hand, hydroxyapatite does not kill the bacteria. However, it prevents bacteria from attaching to the enamel. 

• Hydroxyapatite can increase the microhardness of enamel.

• A coating of hydroxyapatite reinforces the teeth better than the fluorapatite coating.

• There are no side effects with hydroxyapatite—in fact, it’s safe to swallow the entire tube of toothpaste…although we don’t recommend it of course!  Fluoride, however, is not safe to swallow large amounts. In fact there’s a poison control label on the tube, and overexposure to fluoride causes dental and skeletal fluorosis.

• It is thought to be more kid friendly, as children are learning how to brush teeth and can ingest larger amounts of toothpaste than they should by accident. When this happens, you run the risk of the fluoride in toothpaste getting absorbed into the bloodstream and causing dental fluorosis  which causes a change in the appearance of tooth enamel. Toothpaste that contains hydroxyapatite does not run this risk. 

• Fluorapatite is less soluble than hydroxyapatite. This means that in acidic conditions, fluorapatite is stronger and more resistant to demineralization. 

• hydroxyapatite toothpaste has been shown in studies to be just as good as fluorapatite toothpaste, with an added benefit — it helps with dental hypersensitivity.

• Both fluoride and hydroxyapatite are scientifically proven to reverse dental decay.

If you would like to find out more about different toothpaste options and which one is right for you, come schedule a visit at one of our wonderful office locations today! Our  dentists can help answer all of your dental related questions!

Our Locations and numbers are: 

Oxnard Riverpark: 1000 Town Center Dr, Suite 250, Oxnard, CA 93036 805-983-7674   

Central Oxnard: 140 North A Street, Oxnard CA 93030 805-483-9537     

Thousand Oaks: 509 Marin Street, Suite 220, Thousand Oaks CA 91360 805-374-8484

Camarillo: 2107 Pickwick Drive, Camarillo CA 93010 805-819-2043

Beverly Hills: 9001 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 303, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 310-273-0726

Ventura: 3555 Loma Vista Rd Suite 217, Ventura, CA 93003 805-643-4184