Teeth's Pal, Toothpaste!

Toothpaste
There we once many ways of how humans would clean their teeth, they’d chew on frayed twigs, rub their teeth with cloth, swab their teeth with vinegar, and then at about 100 B.C. the Egyptians produced what may have been the first toothpaste and it’s contents were powdered pumice (a porous rock formed after volcanoes erupted) and vinegar. Since then science has surely, and obviously, expanded and now we have new ingredients in our toothpaste that some would have never dreamed, but we had created, and use to clean our teeth. Oral bacteria and the products of bacteria are what is commonly known as plaque or the build up that rests on our teeth with food particles. If it’s not removed the bacteria digest the new sugars and foods we in-take and turn it into acids( Acid? As in a chemical related thing, yes), that soon erodes our teeth enamel ( the hard outer coating). Mainly we brush to stop the plaque from turning into a Tartar. A Tartar, also known as calculus, is a hard mineral substance that is similar to the tooth enamel and forms along our gum line during the time that calcium salts in our saliva go chill with the dead bacteria in plaque. Ew, gross, yuck, yes all words that could easily describe my opinion on this! Tartar above the gum line just turns our teeth an icky color, on the gum line it could eventually lead to the loss of teeth. Flouride compounds and compounds that fight against tartar are common things found in our toothpaste today, along with the flavoring, coloring, sweeteners, abrasive, detergent, thickener, moisturizer, water, and occasionally baking soda. Baking soda and the other abrasives in a toothpaste prep and ready themselves for their fight on plaque. The chemicals vs. the bacteria to keep our teeth clean and healthy through their reactors. We do this for a hygienic reason and honestly we do it for a cosmetic reason too. I mean, who doesn’t want white teeth? So thank chemistry for welcoming us the chemical reactions that can help our teeth and smiles. (:


Resources:http://science.howstuffworks.com/chemistry-in-a-tube-of-toothpaste-info.htm