14 Best Toothpastes, According to Dentists | NBC Select

Choosing the right toothpaste is essential for oral hygiene, but doing so can be confusing. While all toothpastes clean teeth, you might also need to address concerns like reducing sensitivity, whitening, and improving gum health.

I’ve spent years reporting on oral care and practically have dentists on speed dial. For this story, I talked to dentists about determining which toothpaste to buy and used their guidance to round up options made with fluoride from brands like Crest, Colgate and Sensodyne. Many of the toothpastes we recommend earned the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance, and the NBC Select staff also tried a handful of them.

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While shopping for toothpaste, experts recommend keeping the following factors in mind.

In addition to offering cavity, gum and enamel protection, this toothpaste removes plaque buildup and tartar, plus it won’t bother sensitive teeth, according to the brand. It’s also made with hydrated silica, a gently abrasive ingredient that scrubs surface stains off teeth. The toothpaste comes in a recyclable carton.

Active ingredients: Stannous fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 4.3 oz.

Plaque is a collection of bacteria, food and other debris that sticks to your teeth, experts told us. If it builds up, it can lead to issues like gingivitis, also known as early gum disease, as well as swollen, bleeding gums. Parodontax’s toothpaste is designed to break down and remove plaque, as well as kill bacteria on teeth, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Stannous fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 3.4 oz.

If you don’t have specific dental needs and are looking for a basic fluoride toothpaste, this one from Colgate is a great option. It protects against cavities, thoroughly cleans teeth and freshens breath, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Sodium monofluorophosphate | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 6 oz.

This Sensodyne toothpaste is also a NBC Select Wellness Award winner. It gently whitens teeth by removing stains and makes them less sensitive thanks to the potassium nitrate it’s formulated with. The toothpaste, whose tube, cap and carton are recyclable, also remineralizes enamel to strengthen it, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride, potassium nitrate | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 4 oz.

Dentin is the soft inner part of your teeth, and if it’s exposed due to enamel erosion, you may experience sensitivity to hot and cold food or beverages, experts told us. Sensodyne’s toothpaste, which won a NBC Select Wellness Award, contains potassium nitrate to help calm the nerves in your teeth and make them less sensitive, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride, potassium nitrate | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 4 oz.

Colgate’s Total Plaque Pro-Release Toothpaste won a NBC Select Wellness Award and our reviewers say it left their teeth feeling clean and fresh. As you brush, the paste, which offers antibacterial protection, turns into a thick, foamy later. The foam dissolves plaque and lifts it off teeth, especially along the gum line, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Stannous fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 3 oz.

CloSYS’s toothpaste offers cavity and enamel protection. It has a pH-balanced formula, which neutralizes plaque bacteria to create a non-acidic environment in the mouth and prevent bad breath, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 7 oz.

Nu Skin’s whitening toothpaste is a NBC Select Wellness Award winner. It uses hydrated silica to remove surface stains from teeth, as well as aluminum hydroxide, a mild abrasive, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Sodium monofluorophosphate | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Vanilla mint | Size: 4 oz.

Quip automatically delivers toothpaste to your door every three months when you sign up for its subscription. That means you won’t have to remember to buy a new tube when you run out. The toothpaste comes in a recyclable tube and it’s also available for one-time purchases.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint or watermelon | Size: 4.6 oz.

Gel toothpastes typically have a smooth texture and don’t get as foamy as thick pastes, experts told us. Aim’s gel toothpaste helps prevent cavities, tooth decay and acid erosion while strengthening enamel and removing plaque, according to the brand.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride | Texture: Gel | Flavor: Mint | Size: 5.5 oz.

Many toothpastes for sensitive teeth contain potassium nitrate, but AloeSense’s toothpaste is a natural alternative. It’s made with aloe vera and allantoin, ingredients that naturally soothe sensitive teeth, according to the brand. Aloe vera works to moisturize the mouth, while allantoin gently cleans the teeth and gums.

Active ingredients: Fluoride (type not specified) | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 5 oz.

Burt’s Bees’ Compete Multi-Care Toothpaste prevents cavities and strengthens enamel while deep cleaning teeth, according to the brand. It also gently removes surface stains thanks to hydrated silica. The toothpaste comes in recyclable packaging.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Peppermint | Size: 4.7 oz.

This toothpaste contains baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate. It neutralizes acids in the mouth and gently removes surface stains from teeth to whiten them over time, according to the brand. The smooth toothpaste gets foamy while you brush to help clean along the gum line as well as between teeth.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 6 oz.

Made By Dentists' toothpaste has ingredients that help remineralize lost enamel to make it stronger and harder. Hydroxyapatite, for example, is a compound that's naturally found in enamel, and it penetrates teeth to remineralize them from within, according to the brand. This toothpaste is also made with potassium nitrate, which can help reduce tooth pain and sensitivity.

Active ingredients: Sodium fluoride | Texture: Paste | Flavor: Mint | Size: 4.2 oz.

Reading a toothpaste’s ingredient label can tell you a lot about the benefits it offers and what specific needs it targets. Beyond fluoride and SLS, we asked experts to define some common ingredients you may see and what they do — they’re listed below. If you have any questions about how these ingredients relate to your teeth specifically, consult your dentist since they know your oral health status the best, says Dr. Edmond Hewlett, a professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, varying levels of which are often found in bodies of water like rivers, lakes and oceans, according to the ADA. It’s added to dental health products like toothpaste and mouthwash because it’s proven to effectively fight cavities, protect against acid erosion and strengthen tooth enamel to make it more resistant to decay, says Rozenberg. Your teeth absorb fluoride, which restores lost minerals to eroded areas on the surface, thus rebuilding, strengthening and hardening tooth enamel.

There’s been controversy over fluoride for years since it can be toxic in excessive amounts, says Rozenberg. But it’s one of the most well-documented therapies in dentistry, says Hewlett, and added to dental products in safe, measured amounts. In order for a toothpaste to earn the ADA Seal of Acceptance, it must be fluoridated — no ADA-approved toothpastes are fluoride-free. All the experts we spoke to also recommend choosing a toothpaste that has fluoride.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognizes three types of fluoride as being able to help prevent dental cavities: stannous fluoride , sodium fluoride and s odium monofluorophosphate. Stannous fluoride is also highly effective at fighting bacteria, preventing tooth decay and protecting against plaque buildup. “As a rule of thumb, if you're looking for all-around protection and not just cavity prevention, then stannous fluoride is the preferred fluoride of choice for your oral health,” says Rozenberg. Stannous fluoride can relieve tooth sensitivity, too.

Sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, acts as a detergent in toothpaste to help remove food, debris and other particles from your teeth, says Rozenberg. It also has mild antimicrobial properties and is responsible for creating the foam that forms as you brush your teeth — “the more foamy the toothpaste, the more SLS used in it,” she says. Foam helps evenly distribute the active ingredients in toothpaste across your teeth, some of which polish them or help strengthen enamel.

Some people are sensitive to SLS, and if so, using toothpaste that contains it can cause mouth ulcers, gum irritation and swelling, says Rozenberg. In these cases, experts recommend choosing a SLS-free toothpaste — read the ingredient label on a toothpaste’s packaging to determine whether it contains SLS.

Similar to how it purifies water, charcoal is often thought of as an ingredient that can absorb toxins and bacteria on your teeth or in your mouth. However, our experts agree that you should not use it. There are no charcoal toothpastes with the ADA Seal of Acceptance, and a study published in The Journal of The American Dental Association found that there wasn’t enough evidence to support efficacy claims. Experts also say that using charcoal toothpaste may damage the outer layer of enamel since charcoal is abrasive.

“Currently, the FDA does not define the term ‘natural toothpaste,’ which leaves consumers to define what natural means to them," says Dr. Kate Zoumboukos, who practices dentistry at SW Austin Dental in Texas. Some brands use the term “natural toothpaste” to describe options that are free of artificial flavors and ingredients, preservatives, sweeteners and dyes. Experts agree that any toothpaste marketed as "natural" is effective so long as it contains fluoride, and it’s even better if it also has the ADA Seal of Acceptance.

Toothpaste most often comes in a gel or paste form, but some brands sell solid toothpaste, usually in the form of a tablet you chew into a gum-like substance before brushing your teeth with it. There are no solid toothpaste options that have the ADA Seal of Acceptance, so shop with caution and ensure anything you try contains fluoride.

There’s really no difference in effectiveness between toothpaste for kids and adults — it’s more a matter of flavors and packaging, experts told us. With that being said, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children start using toothpaste with fluoride as soon as their first tooth appears. Experts say this is usually around six months, but for some kids, it can be even younger. You can start with a fluoridated kids toothpaste and then transition to an adult toothpaste later on, or start with an adult toothpaste right away. Sometimes kids don’t like the flavor of adult toothpaste, so consider trying a few yourself and using the one with a very mild flavor for your child.

At NBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

I'm an associate updates editor at NBC Select who writes about dental care, including stories on electric toothbrushes, different types of toothpaste, at-home whitening treatments, floss and water flossers. For this article, I interviewed three experts about how to shop for toothpaste and rounded up options that met their guidance.

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Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor for Select on NBC News.