Unless you read more than your share of technical articles, you have probably never heard of hydroxyapatite. It might sound like a miracle product for your diet, but hydroxyapatite is actually a mineral that is critically important to your teeth.
You already know your teeth are made of calcium. The calcium in teeth is in a crystalline form of calcium phosphate that creates a lattice-like structure. Hydroxyapatite is simply another name for that crystalline calcium phosphate.
You also know that acid on your teeth causes trouble—namely, it can dissolve the minerals in the tooth. You don’t have to swish your mouth with lemon juice or vinegar to have an acidic oral environment, although acidic food and drinks, including sugary sodas, take their toll. The bacteria in your mouth, especially those that accumulate in plaque, metabolize the carbohydrates in food and produce acids that lead to dissolving the minerals.
De-mineralization, re-mineralization
Your teeth go through cycles of dissolving the mineral structure, that is, de-mineralization, followed by replenishing the minerals, or re-mineralization. The reason fluoride is so important to dental health is that it binds with the hydroxyapatite crystals in the tooth structure, making them less likely to dissolve. Fluoride also encourages re-mineralization to help rebuild the lattice structure.
Dentists first discovered the benefits of fluoride for reducing cavities in the early 1900s. Since the 1950s, fluoride has been added to public water systems. It is almost always an ingredient in toothpastes, and dentists commonly apply fluoride to teeth during office visits.
Recently, dental scientists have been looking at other compounds of calcium and phosphate to encourage re-mineralization in teeth. Very recently, they have found that solutions with nano-crystals of hydroxyapatite are effective in restoring the minerals in teeth.
AO ProToothpaste’s one-two punch
Since toothpastes commonly contain fluoride, wouldn’t it be great if they also included the minerals that actually make up the tooth structure? What if there were toothpastes that contained hydroxyapatite?
Take a look at the ingredient list in the PerioSciences toothpastes. Each of the formulas, for WHITE CARE, NATURAL, and the forthcoming SENSITIVE and HYDRATING, contain hydroxyapatite. Not only do the PerioSciences toothpastes clean and brighten teeth, they also contain important minerals.
PerioSciences products are already the first to market with antioxidants that neutralize free radicals and help to normalize the acid balance in the oral cavity. Now, with the added ingredient of hydroxyapatite, AO ProToothpaste packs a one-two punch for maximum dental care.
To help keep the chemistry of your mouth in balance, consider using antioxidant-rich products like those offered by PerioSciences. Phloretin and ferulic acid, two of our active ingredients, can help improve the antioxidant balance of your mouth. To learn more about antioxidants in oral care, fill out the form on our blog. Also, be sure to connect with PerioSciences on Facebook and Twitter.
