The best brush is a soft one, very densely packed with well-rounded, nylon bristles. That dot teaches youngsters to use just the right amount of toothpaste. Baker has found that most of us are using far too much toothpaste, and we end up swallowing a great deal of it. Baker says marketing maneuvers have toothpaste manufacturers putting more and more chemicals into our toothpaste too. Some ingredients and some abrasives can cause that terrible burning feeling in the mouth, along with canker sores and sloughing of mouth tissue.
Key offenders are sodium laurel sulfate and especially pyrophosphates.
The higher the number, the more abrasive the toothpaste. Call the consumer number listed on the toothpaste packaging and ask what the RDA is. When in doubt about any product, call your dentist or hygienist for specific recommendations for you.