Health & Wellbeing

Toothpaste ingredient repairs teeth while you sleep

Toothpaste ingredient repairs teeth while you sleep
The new toothpaste aims to tackle dental decay through a slow release of calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions
The new toothpaste aims to tackle dental decay through a slow release of calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions
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Whereas normal toothpastes wear off after only a couple of hours, BioMin pastes work for 8-12 hours after brushing, with the flouride – which is resistant to the acid found in things like soft drinks – forming a protective layer over the enamel
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Whereas normal toothpastes wear off after only a couple of hours, BioMin pastes work for 8-12 hours after brushing, with the flouride – which is resistant to the acid found in things like soft drinks – forming a protective layer over the enamel
The new toothpaste aims to tackle dental decay through a slow release of calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions
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The new toothpaste aims to tackle dental decay through a slow release of calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions

A new toothpaste technology, known as BioMin, is designed to replace minerals lost from tooth enamel, working while the user sleeps to prevent decay. Available to dentists as a toothpaste called BioMinF, and set to be marketed to consumers in the near future, the product is long-acting, and also tackles sensitivity.

Dental decay and sensitivity is extremely prevalent, with some 42 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 11 affected by it, and a whopping 92 percent of adults between 20 and 64 having to deal with it at some point.

A new toothpaste called BioMinF, based on research from the Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London, aims to tackle dental decay through a slow release of calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions. Whereas normal toothpastes wear off after only a couple of hours, BioMin pastes work for 8-12 hours after brushing, with the flouride – which is resistant to the acid found in things like soft drinks – forming a protective layer over the enamel.

The calcium and phosphate do even more, working with the saliva in the mouth and combining to form a new mineral that's able to strengthen and rebuild the tooth structure. Sensitivity is tackled by forming a barrier over open tubules, which provide access to open nerves. The BioMin tech seals off the nerves, lowering sensitivity, particularly to hot and cold food and drink.

Interestingly, the new sensitivity and decay-tackling toothpaste tech could, according to the team behind it, also appear in other dental hygiene products.

"The technology behind BioMin is not however exclusively designed for toothpastes," said the company's chief scientific officer Professor Robert Hill. "It can also be incorporated in other professionally applied dental products such as cleaning and polishing pastes, varnishes and remineralizing filling materials."

BioMin Technologies – the company behind the breakthrough ingredient – is aiming to commercialize the development of the product, with a fluoride-free version also in the works. The BioMinF toothpaste is available to dentists via wholesalers right now, priced at £5 (US$7) for a 75-ml tube. For everyone else, you can expect the new paste to be on store shelves by the end of the year.

Source: BioMin

7 comments
7 comments
Chizzy
my wife has found success remineralizing her teeth by brushing with earthpaste, and activated carbon powder. much older formula, and works great.
Derek Howe
Cool, I'll have to give this stuff a go...when it comes out in 1 1/2 years.
windykites
I reckon after all these years, fluoride has proved to be a failure in preventing dental decay. I have read that the original premise that it was going to be useful was false.
It is now widely acknowledged that fluoride is a poisonous substance; a waste product of industry, which found a very lucrative way of disposing of its waste.
If you don't believe it's poisonous, read what it says on the toothpaste tube: in the event of swallowing any toothpaste contact your doctor
Roy Murray
Windykites: Give it a rest, take off your tinfoil hat and stop spreading lies. Fluoride has saved millions of people from developing dental caries.
ChairmanLMAO
I agree with windykites - they lied to us then how can we trust them? Roy. You give it a rest.
Purple-Stater
windykites: The introduction of flouride to water has had a tremendous effect on cavities. Evidence of this is incredibly easy to find, and is abundant. It can't be helped if you'd rather believe wackjob conspiracy nuts instead. Yes, flouride can be toxic, but not in the levels used in public water systems. Plain water itself can be toxic if you drink too much, 2 gallons in a period of less than 3 hours can easily kill you.
sugamari: Who lied? In any case, there is a big difference between being wrong, and lying.
HämäläinenJussi
Xylitol has been around for some 30 years and has in countless clinical trials shown itself to be a good, solid remineralizing agent. However, the DEA won't release it to US consumers as the US industry does not want to pay for the licences. For this greed the US consumers have suffered for more than 30 years.