Colgate Enamel Health: A New Product
I recently received a sample of the Colgate Enamel Health toothpaste from my Colgate rep. I have had some sensitivity issues myself so I wanted to see if it worked for me before recommending it to my patients. I’ve been using it for 3 weeks now and have noticed some nice improvement, particularly in the gumline areas that are exposed and have been sensitive.
How does the tooth become sensitive? It can come from many sources: tooth grinding, chipped tooth, exposed dentin, and abfractions (tooth structure that is lost at the gum line due to grinding), just to mention a few. In my case I have some dentin exposed to the oral environment which is bathed in an acidic environment, opening little tubules in the tooth causing sensitivity.
The way this product works is it has more alkaline (less acid), and it uses a combination of arginine(a naturally occurring amino acid) and calcium carbonate to make the teeth less sensitive. It essentially seals the holes (the tubules) thereby protecting the dentin from sensitivity causing compounds (like sugar, food of hot or cold temperatures). A study presented in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry gives more details leading to these findings.
This toothpaste is in competition with Pronamel by Sensodyne. I have seen good results for patients using Sensodyne, which has a different chemical composition, including potassium nitrate, and fluoride. I’ve had good luck with this product.
It’s great having these products available. Although they don’t work for everyone, they do help a large percentage of the affected population.