Tooth Powder

TOOTH POWDER, Pulvis dentifricius, is used for the mechanical cleaning of teeth and for the removal of food particles and various deposits from the surface of the teeth and from the interdental spaces. Tooth powder must have a pleasant, refreshing taste and must not contain 1) poisonous or potent substances, 2) substances capable of fermentation, 3) large particles that could mechanically damage the surface of the teeth; to remove large particles, the ingredients are ground into the finest powder and sifted. The usual base for tooth powder is precipitated calcium carbonate (Calcium carbonicum praecipitatum); magnesium carbonate (Magnesium carbonicum) is often added to it to give the powder greater looseness, and peppermint oil (Oleum Menthae pip.) is added for taste. The recipe for such a tooth powder is: Calc. carbon. ppt. 150 parts, Magnes. carbon. 50 parts, and Ol. Menth. piperit. 1 part. The base for other tooth powders is talc or pulverized charcoal; the latter possesses adsorbing and deodorizing properties; with prolonged use of a tooth powder containing charcoal, a black border may form along the edge of the gums due to the deposition of the charcoal. Chemically purified astringent and disinfectant substances (medicinal soap, sodium bicarbonate, tannin, rhatany root, cinchona bark, magnesium perhydrol, potassium chlorate, thymol, resorcinol, camphor, salol, and rarely phenol) are often added to tooth powder. The addition of salicylic and other acids is considered irrational due to their dissolving action on tooth enamel and the possibility of damaging the teeth; likewise, it is not recommended to use tooth powders daily that contain coarse and difficult-to-grind substances (pumice, cuttlefish bone, oyster shell); although when using such a tooth powder the teeth become white, their surface is often mechanically damaged. To improve the taste and smell, in addition to peppermint oil, essential oils are added to the tooth powder: such as clove, anise, rose, etc., and powdered iris rhizome (Rhizoma Iridis), and carmine or phloxine (dichloro-eosin) is usually used for coloring it pink. American tooth powder often contains zinc oxide, zinc sulfanilate, pumice, and sugar. For cleaning teeth, instead of tooth powder, tooth pastes (Pasta dentifricia) are often used; the composition of the latter consists mostly of the same ingredients as in tooth powder, but to give it the form of a paste, glycerin is added to the tooth powder; however, treating tooth powder with water or alcohol is not recommended, as in such cases the paste easily hardens, forming lumps. The base for many tooth pastes (Corpus ad pastam dentifriciam) is the mixture: Calc. carbon. ppt. 80 parts, Rhizom. Iridis 10 parts, Lapid. Pumicis pulv. 5 parts, Sapon. medic. 5 parts, Glycerini q.s. By adding various medicinal substances, essential oils, and dyes to this base, various tooth pastes are obtained, e.g.: Chlorodont—represents a mixture of the base paste with potassium chlorate and peppermint oil; Kalodont—a mixture of the base paste with 20 parts Gummi arabici, 0.01 parts Saccharini, 0.5 parts Elaeosacchar. Cumar. and various essential oils—peppermint, cinnamon, lemon, etc. Tooth paste is dispensed in tin tubes; lead tubes are not permitted. By using tooth powders and pastes with essential oils, astringents, and disinfectant substances, one not only mechanically cleans the teeth and the oral mucosa but also strengthens the gum mucosa. All this together increases the importance of using tooth powder and tooth pastes in general oral hygiene.