Comment by alyx
3 months ago
Never heard of Novamin but doesn't look promising?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7068624/
Conclusion Review shows that Novamin has significantly less clinical evidence to prove its effectiveness as a remineralization agent in treating both carious and non-carious lesion. Hence, better designed clinical trials should be carried out in the future before definitive recommendations can be made.
Inetersting, the paper explain how remineralisation works and the role of F and fluoroapatite. This reminds me the recent Veritasium video about why Teflon is so strong - F chemical bonds are the strongest.
For Novamin alone, I've seen and understood the claims of sensitivity protection with hydroxyl-carbonate apatite (HCA). The paper explains it in 4.3. The layer is temporary and protects from acids, conserving the teeth tissue below.
But F is essential and my paste has it together with Novamin. It seems they may work well together. But the paper also explains that F works with saliva rich in minerals to repair the enamel. So if Novamin creates a strong layer, it may block access of F + saliva to enamel (my speculation, as in 4.2 they say "A clean tooth surface is required to access the mineral-deficient spot.").
So maybe a classical Ca+F paste is better overnight when no acid exposure is expected, but Novamin is nice in the morning before breakfast.
> is nice in the morning before breakfast.
I typically brush after meals, not before, but however you do it is better than not doing so at all.
FWIW I think the theory is that you have some window before whatever on your teeth turns into hard plaque. So brushing in the morning helps remove any accumulation that happened overnight. I guess brushing after breakfast might be slightly more efficient in the sense that it will clean away/remove food remnants you've just eaten but not sure how much difference it makes in practice as long as you're brushing again later (e.g. before you go to sleep).
EDIT: Technically plaque forms faster but only hardens into "tartar" after about 24 hours or more.
EDIT2: There is another reason to avoid brushing you teeth immediately after a meal. Supposedly they're softer due to higher acidity or something along those lines. It's recommended to wait 30-60 minutes after a meal before brushing.
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Welcome to the toothpaste rabbit hole of the internet.
Long story short, it didn’t work out in military applications and ended up being purchased by a toothpaste maker. They couldn’t bother getting it FDA approved for toothpaste so it is not available in the USA. Que conspiracy theories.