This is especially true for the luxury beauty market place where skin creams and serums can cost upward of $100 and beyond. The allure of a beautifully packaged product that promises to make us look younger and more attractive can be hard to resist. However, up until recently, consumers have been reluctant to pay similar high prices for oral care products like toothpaste. The oral care market may be a billion-dollar industry, but the cost of the majority of toothpaste sold averages at less than a paltry $5 a tube.

This begs the question “why are people happy to pay high prices for skin creams, makeup, perfumes, and shampoos but not on toothpaste?”

There is certainly a growing body of research to bolster the argument that maintaining a high level of oral health will do more to prevent premature ageing than any luxury face cream.

Recent market data is showing that society is putting more emphasis on having white teeth. The desire to flash a brilliant white smile is persuading consumers to spend more on expensive whitening toothpaste than they normally would.

Despite the fact that most dentists recommend Fluoride toothpaste as a route-one method for preventing cavities, there is a growing percentage of consumers who are looking for products that are free from controversial ingredients like fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate and triclosan.

Theodent toothpaste uses an active ingredient called theobromine to act as a replacement for fluoride. Theobromine is a cocoa bean extract has been proven to dramatically increase the size of the hydroxyapatite crystals that make up the surface of the teeth. By increasing the size of these crystals, Theodent makes the teeth stronger and more resistant to decay and erosion.

Theodent 300 contains a highly concentrated theobromine formula and that is why it commands such a high price but there are two more reasonably priced versions that have the same teeth strengthening effect.

• Theodent Classic
• Theodent for kids

The science behind the toothpaste involves the use of a calcium peroxide and mineral formulation that SuperSmile has trademarked as Calprox. The Calprox technology cleans and whitens teeth by dissolving plaque and stains without damaging teeth enamel. According to SuperSmile their toothpaste has the potential to lighten the shade of toothpaste by up to 4 shades by itself or by 6 shades if it is combined with their whitening accelerator

The inspiration for Regenerate comes from exciting research and development into tissue engineering where bioactive materials are used to bond and stimulate growth in hard tissue like bone and teeth enamel. The patented formula that Regenerate products use is called NR-5 technology and it contains a mix of calcium silicate (CaSi), sodium phosphate salts and fluoride. This novel composition not only boosts the mouth’s natural remineralization process but it has also been shown to form the hydroxyapatite crystals that makeup teeth enamel.

Although Regenerate is not capable of repairing any form of advanced erosion or decay it has been proven to be beneficial in strengthening teeth enamel, protecting against acid attacks and potentially repairing very early signs of damage.