new product profile
Livionex Dental Gel
A Molecular Level
Redesign with
Game-Changing Results
T
by Tina Cauller
oothpaste is such a basic part of our daily routines that we
usually don’t think very much about it. Paste or gel, green,
blue, white, sparkly or striped, it’s all about the same, with
essentially the same ingredients.
Water. Toothpaste is made up partly of water (20-40%) with a bit of
flavoring and sweetener.
Abrasives. Another 50% or so is some sort of abrasive designed to
help remove plaque.
Soap. Most garden-variety toothpastes contain sodium lauryl sulfate,
the same detergent that gives your shampoo that nice foamy quality
(consumers seem to associate that foaminess with “clean”). However,
detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate can disrupt human cell membranes and can potentially damage the epidermis, organs, and
immune system.
Antimicrobials. Some brands have added triclosan to kill bacteria,
although various studies have raised concerns about triclosan, including possible interference with hormone regulation, creating antibiotic
resistance, and the potential to form a carcinogen when mixed with
tap water. Because of these studies, the FDA is currently conducting
a safety review of triclosan. A small amount of sodium fluoride or
stannous fluoride (about 1,000 ppm) has been present in American
toothpaste since the 1950s to fight decay.
The ability of typical toothpaste to remove plaque is limited. Various
studies have shown that regular brushing brings down the Plaque
Index from about 4 on a 5-point scale to about 2, where it remains
stable, despite regular brushing. Whatever the brand, we brush, we
rinse, we spit – and then we go see our hygienist every so often to
have the accumulation of tartar removed.
Leave it to a Silicon Valley start-up to re-think the whole thing. “We
examined the chemistry behind plaque formation,” notes Amit
Goswamy of Livionex, Inc. “In high school science c \