 What's in your medicine cabinet? We've reviewed and revised our recommended dental products list. All of these products should be available at your local drugstore or discounter. This guide will highlight our favorites, as well as some great alternatives.
Best Overall Toothpaste: Colgate Total
 Why we liked it last year: Triclosan, the active ingredient in anti-bacterial
soap, is exclusively in Colgate Total. Bacteria have a hard time
attaching to teeth because of this extra ingredient. No other
toothpaste can touch its tartar control or anti-gingitivitis properties.
Others may promise better whitening (see our
Whitening FAQ) or better breath, but preventing decay, plaque, tartar
and gum disease should be your priorities. Total is competitive on
decay (you still need good old fluoride for that) and unbeatable on the
others.
Update:Colgate has listened to its customers and released a new whitening variety of Total, Advanced Clean with "Advanced silica". (We're not sure how you make silica high tech, as it's just sand) While we have yet to try it, we hope that it incorporates a similar product to it's bargain corporate sibling, Ultrabrite Advanced Whitening.
What we dispense at our office: We dispense Total samples to our
adult patients. Triclosan is not indicated for small children, so we
dispense Colgate Kid's flavors for those under six.
Also consider: Basically, you are looking for fluoride as the
active ingredient, and the
ADA seal.
To get the seal, manufacturers must produce some scientific proof for their
marketing claims.
Best Sensitivity Toothpaste: Sensodyne Pronamel
 Why we like it: A few years ago, a toothpaste called Enamelon used calcium phosphate to remineralize the teeth. The Big Toothpaste companies muscled it off the market. Years later, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is dentistry's hot new ingredient, making it's way into chewing gum (Trident White), whitening gels (Discus, Nu Radiance, and others), and back into toothpaste.
We've known for years that the Sensodyne was a great sensitivity toothpaste. Sensodyne Pronamel adds ACP, making it a potent cavity fighter and sensitivity reducer. It costs more than standard toothpaste, but it's definitely worth it. For people more prone to cavities than gingivitis, I would actually recommend Sensodyne Pronamel (even if your teeth aren't sensitive) over Colgate Total.
What we dispense at our office:We dispense prescription strength fluoride toothpaste for sensitivity. It's stronger and faster acting, but either way, it usually takes 2-4 weeks for any toothpaste to reduce dental sensitivity.
Best Toothbrush: Oral-B Advantage Extra Soft
 Why we like it: A good grip, and VERY soft bristles.
What we dispense at our office: Colgate Total Professional, which provides an excellent gum massage. We dispense Colgate
Kids brushes, mainly because they had cool characters on them. The
best toothbrush for kids is still the one that they will use everyday.
DISCLOSURE: We buy both adults and kids brushes in bulk, and are not given
any promotional consideration for this recommendation.
Also consider: Colgate Wave toothbrushes, which are also
very comfortable. I do not recommend the newer brushes with the rubber
polishing inserts (they are extra abrasive) unless you're a heavy coffee or
tea drinker. Remember that softer brushes are kinder to the enamel, but they also wear out twice as fast; be sure to replace them regularly.
Best Powerbrush: Oral-B Triumph
Almost as fast as Sonicare, and a very strong, thorough cleaning. Oral B also has
extra soft (my favorite), orthodontic (cleans around brackets), interdental
(between teeth and under bridges) and other specialty heads available.
OralB has a rock solid patent on wear indicator bristles, which fade from blue to white as they need replacement. Replacing powerbrush heads is VERY important, so the wear indicating bristles are a welcome benefit. Sonicare has a compact head and small head and that's about it.
Disclosure: OralB is "the brand that most dentist use" because they used to give
every hygienist and dentist, myself included, a free power toothbrush.
We do sell OralB Triumph brushes at our office, even though Sonicare and
Rotadent brushes are more profitable to sell. Dentist-dispensed Triumph toothbrushes come with a power-pick, interdental,
and tongue cleaner accessory heads, and general retailer models do not.
Also consider: the Sonicare line, which is better than OralB at the
midrange price segment. Please see our
power toothbrush article for more tips.
Best Floss: Johnson & Johnson Gentle Gum Care
 Why we like it: GGC offers a soft, yarn like feel and great plaque
removal. At $2.30 a pack, it's not cheap. You can find it Walgreens, Walmart, Target and other stores.
What we dispense at our office: Colgate Total floss, a good floss
for those with tight contact between their teeth (i.e., former orthodontic
patients). It's is a lot like Glide, but slightly thicker. DISCLOSURE: we are given the floss for free with
the toothbrushes we dispense. Even though we do not get anything
free from Johnson and Johnson
(grumble, grumble), I still like their flosses better overall.
Also consider: Glide it your teeth are tight to floss. Don't
forget that good old 99¢ cheap wax floss is
perfectly OK, too. The best floss is really the one that you will use
daily and properly. For those who have difficulty, Johnson & Johnson's
Reach Access is one of the better floss holders we've tried.
Next Best Thing to Floss: Butler Go-Betweens
Why we like it: These tiny little brushes (which look like
miniature pipe cleaners) go between teeth and under bridges with ease. Butler's official product page. .
What we dispense at our office: We dispense a different brand readily available at Walmart, but we haven't verified availability elsewhere yet. Samples are available at our office.
Also consider: J&J's Reach Access, as mentioned above, is a decent
alternative. But if you have a bridge, then you need an interproximal
brush like the Go-Betweens, OralB Superfloss, or OralB floss threaders.
The #1 reason for recurrent decay in bridges is lack of flossing. If
you're going to invest $3000 in a bridge, please take care of it.
Best Mouthwash: Listerine Vanilla Mint
 Why we like it: Listerine is the product that is probably the
single best treatment for gingivitis on the shelf. But many avoid its
traditional alcohol and thymol sting. Listerine keeps getting their
product to hurt less and less with every new flavor. The yellow was awful,
blue was better, green was better than that, orange was pretty good, and the
recent vanilla mint is downright palatable. If you've been shying
away, give the vanilla mint a try.
What we dispense at our office: We have Listerine Green and Orange
in our office. It's too soon to have samples of the Vanilla Mint
flavor, but we're waiting to get that. If new to Listerine, we
recommend diluting it three parts water to one part Listerine at first, then
gradually diluting less and less until you've worked your way up to full
strength Listerine. DISCLOSURE: we are given the samples for the cost
of shipping alone.
Also consider: Target and Walmart both have very good private
label versions of Listerine that I have personally used. Scope and
it's alcohol-free brother Crest Pro-Health are both based on
cetyl-pyridium-chloride (CPC), which is great for breath, not so good for
gingivitis reduction.
If you have more of a cavity problem than a gingivitis problem (your dentist can tell you), then consider a fluoride mouthrinse such as Act or Listerine's Cavity Defense. As they all have the same ingredient at the same concentration, get the more affordable one.
Best Tongue Cleaner: Discus Dental BreathRx
We know that bacteria from the mouth are found in the lungs of pneumonia
patients and sometimes in the heart tissue of others. If not for
breath, do it for your health.
Why we like it: Simple, durable, and
very effective. Stick your tongue out, bend it in both hands, and
scrape.
What we dispense at our office: We dispense BreathRx tongue
cleaners exclusively.
Also consider: any other tongue cleaner you can find. Tongue
cleaning isn't critical to tooth or gum health, but may be helpful for
halitosis (bad breath) sufferers. Toothbrushes agitate tongue plaque,
but the soft bristles that are good for teeth make really ineffective tongue
cleaners. If you need a one handed tongue cleaner, there are several
on the market at your local store.
Best OTC Mouthguard: The Doctor's Nightguard Kit
Why we like it: Easy to use, widely available in three sizes.
If you grind or clench your teeth, you need a nightguard. While
customized solutions from the dentist office are more comfortable, this
product does the job for about $25-$30.
What we dispense at our office: We have anterior distraction
splints and the traditional acrylic occlusal splints, which look like
horseshoes. Anterior distraction splints are basically a plastic cover
over your front six upper teeth, and keep your mouth from closing fully.
Because they are inconspicuous, they are meant to be worn during the day.
Acrylic occlusal splints are what most other dentists use. They are
also custom made, but cover the entire jaw. They work by distributing
the force and the wear of grinding and clenching. They are the most
durable form of nightguard and intended for wear while sleeping.
Also consider: Any "boil and bite" sports mouthguard will work,
but they are a bit bulky. For daytime clenchers and grinders, your
main options are self-monitoring and anterior distraction splints.
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