Question

Mention the nature of toothpaste. How do they prevent tooth decay?

Answer 1

Hint: We know that the Teeth can actually become stronger and remineralize when the mouth has a pH of $$7.5$$ or above. And regular toothpaste has an average pH of $$8.$$ Human teeth are made up of four different types of tissues: pulp, dentin, enamel and cementum. Teeth consist mostly of hard, inorganic minerals like calcium. And we know that food and drink change the pH level of saliva.

Complete answer:
As we know that the Toothpastes are usually weakly basic in nature. The Ph of saliva is $$7.4,$$ which is basic too. An acidic environment will cause teeth enamel to corrode, and will ultimately weaken them. So, the two ingredients giving toothpaste a basic nature are: The sequestering agent tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) which removes calcium and magnesium from the saliva, so they can't deposit on teeth as insoluble deposits called tartar, (calcified plaque). In this respect it acts as a water-softening agent. It won't remove tartar that already exists. Tooth brushes provide the mechanical force and vehicle to remove the deposits physically, to be rinsed out. TSPP is slightly alkaline, and has a bitter taste; therefore additional flavorings are required to mask it. Also, additional detergents must be added to keep it in solution.
The nature of toothpaste is base-forming that is basic. They neutralize the acid made by bacteria in the mouth. There are such a lot of kinds of toothpaste available today within the market that have a content of writing conjointly. Anyhow, the foremost aim of toothpaste is to supply germ-free mouths. Typically decay is caused because of acids, so we tend to use bases to scrub out teeth with base-forming bases. Toothpastes contain bases like ammonia water, calcium hydrogen phosphates, carbonate, oxide and hydroxyapatite and toothpaste salt.

Note:
Remember that the acidic toothpaste will make a more acidic environment which is dangerous for teeth and a neutral environment can’t decrease the acidity of the mouth and in our mouth no corrosion type of phenomenon takes place, so there is no sense of taking these types of toothpastes.