Toothpaste contains three main ingredients: fluoride, abrasives, and surfactants. Fluoride helps strengthen tooth enamel through a process of remineralization. Abrasives such as calcium carbonate remove plaque and food remnants by polishing the teeth without damaging enamel. Surfactants loosen stuck food and plaque so toothpaste can remove them, working together with fluoride and the brushing action.

1. CHEMICALS IN TOOTHPASTE
Emma Chen

2. Summary
Toothpaste is basically a gel or paste dentifrice used
with toothbrush to maintain oral hygiene and clean
our teeth and gum.
fluoride
Abrasives
Surfactants

3. Fluoride
What fluoride does is that helps
strengthening the enamel of your
teeth, which is why it is important.
Fluoride can act as a base. It can
combine with proton (H+). The
formula is F– + H+ → HF.
By a process of remineralisation
the fluoride turns into fluoride
rich compounds known as
apatite. This in turn strengthens
the enamel, protecting it from
dissolving in acid.

4. Abrasives
Abrasives help to clean your teeth by
removing plaque stains, polishing
your teeth and most importantly
getting rid of those nasty remnants
of that delicious food you have been
eating.
Toothpaste contains calcium
carbonate (CaCO3) as a "polishing
agent" to remove plaque and other
matter from teeth. (As the hardness
of CaCO3 is less than that of tooth
enamel but more than that of the
contaminating agent.)

5. Surfactants
surfactants are present in toothpaste
to loose the stuck food and plaque so
that your toothpaste can whisk it
away. There are always 1-3%
surfactants in the toothpaste.
After the debris has been scraped off
the tooth enamel tissue by the brush
bristles and paste abrasives, it goes in
to the bulk “brushing solution”. This
debris interacts with the surfactant to
form a small number of micelles.
(molecules remove nasty stains)
(work with fluoride)

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak22Lkk1yIs
Why does Toothpaste Make Orange Juice Taste Bad ?

7. Implication
Toothpaste acts as a base, which neutralize the acids in
our mouth.
This topic is so important because it is connected with
out daily life. We have food everyday and most of the
food we consume are composed of different types of
food acid, toothpaste can work to prevent
decalcification or tooth decay.

8. Work Cited
Hefferren, John. "Laboratory Analysis of Toothpastes Containing Anticaries Agents."
Journal of the society of cosmetic chemists. 18.Feb.5 (1967): 135-140. Print.
<http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1967/cc018n02/p00135-p00140.pdf?
origin=publication_detail>.
"What makes toothpaste work?." The human touch of chemistry. N.p.. Web. 12 Apr 2014.
<http://humantouchofchemistry.com/what-makes-toothpaste-work.htm>.
"How does toothpaste works?." Chemistry in my daily life. Yewhong Charles Choong, 13
May 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
<http://chemistry-kiddo.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-does-toothpaste-
works.html>.