[Closed] fluoride in toothpaste—do you worry about it?

Haha, guilty of toothpaste hopping myself. I once grabbed a random charcoal toothpaste on sale—thought I'd scored a deal. Two weeks later, my gums were like "nope, not today." Went back to my boring old fluoride standby, and everything calmed down. Lesson learned: teeth don't appreciate surprises as much as my wallet does...

I feel you on the toothpaste roulette, haha. I've always stuck with fluoride because I'm paranoid about cavities after my braces came off... but now I'm wondering if charcoal stuff is actually safe long-term? Seems kinda abrasive, no?

Yeah, charcoal toothpaste can definitely be abrasive if used too often... I'd be cautious about enamel wear. Has anyone looked into enamel repair toothpastes—do they actually help rebuild enamel, or is that just marketing hype?

"Has anyone looked into enamel repair toothpastes—do they actually help rebuild enamel, or is that just marketing hype?"

Haha, I've wondered the same thing myself. From what I've read (and my dentist's endless lectures), enamel doesn't exactly "grow back" once it's gone. But some of those toothpastes do have ingredients like fluoride or hydroxyapatite that can help strengthen and remineralize weakened enamel. Think of it more like patching up tiny potholes rather than completely resurfacing the road, ya know?

A while back, I got sucked into the charcoal toothpaste trend too—thought I'd finally found the holy grail of whitening. But after a few weeks, my teeth felt kinda sensitive, and my dentist gave me the side-eye at my next checkup. Lesson learned: moderation is key with abrasive stuff.

Honestly, fluoride gets a bad rap sometimes, but it's pretty solid at protecting enamel and preventing cavities. I get why people worry, but as long as you're not swallowing toothpaste by the tube, you're probably fine. If you're concerned about enamel wear, maybe alternate between your charcoal paste and something gentler with fluoride or hydroxyapatite. Your teeth will thank you later...or at least your dentist will stop giving you judgmental looks.

I've been down that rabbit hole too, haha. A couple years back, I got really into the whole "natural toothpaste" thing—no fluoride, no chemicals, just herbs and oils. Felt great about it at first, but after a while I noticed my teeth getting more sensitive, especially with cold drinks (goodbye iced coffee...). My dentist gently suggested switching back to something with fluoride because apparently my enamel was weakening.

Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but after a few months of using a fluoride toothpaste again, my sensitivity improved noticeably. I get why people worry about fluoride—there's so much conflicting info out there—but from my experience, as long as you're not swallowing tons of it, it's pretty safe and effective. Plus, it's way cheaper than those fancy enamel-repair pastes they sell at the pharmacy. Just my two cents as someone who's tried both sides of the aisle.