For 25 years, Dr. Neal Nealis, D.D.S., has encouraged his patients to brush their teeth. But since February, he's advising some to go toothpaste-free. "The overwhelming reaction I get is that they're skeptical, they're shocked," Nealis said.
Heide Hirschtick hasn't used regular toothpaste for four months now. It was an adjustment at first.
"You're brought up thinking it goes hand in hand," Hirschtick said. "You have your toothbrush and your toothpaste."
Nealis re-thought his position on toothpaste because of a study, presented at the American Dental Assocation meeting last fall. It calls toothpaste abuse the second major cause of abrasion wear, behind tooth grinding.
Dr. Thomas Abrahamsen of Mansfield, Ohio, says it gives teeth a worn, sandblasted appearance. It often happens when patients dislike the color of their teeth, and think the more, and harder they brush, the whiter they will become.
But actually, teeth become darker. Nealis says all toothpaste contains abrasive particles that can sand off portions of the teeth. Over time, enamel becomes thinner. He sees this damage in nearly 20 percent of his patients.
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