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Comment by buybackoff | Hacker News Reader

The picture says "enamel-mimicking" and the text says "protective coating that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel", so it looks like a protective layer, not true repair. I've been using a paste with novamin lately, it also creates a protective layer and is also marketed as "repair". I like it and feel some heat when it contacts with teeth, so the chemical reaction must be working. But the marketing leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

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I don't know what this new hairpaste does, but Novamin promotes re-enamelization of teeth, which is where mineral ions like calcium bond themselves to the tooth and fill in small pits and fissures. It's not regrowing actual enamel, it's probably not going to fill in any pits you can see with the naked eye, but it's a real and beneficial effect. Actually any fluoride toothpaste also does this, but Novamin may be a bit more effective at it.

I had an impression that Novamin creates an artificial layer as strong as natural enamel, and fills tiny holes that are responsible for high sensitivity with this material that crystallizes with water contact. Then normal Ca+F mineralisation is orthogonal. Novamin itself contains Ca, can it really migrate from the crystals into the tooth tissue?

People waste their time and money with this garbage. I'm not saying its bad, but there's much better stuff out there. If you care about re-enamelization which everyone with bad to average teeth should, get some Prevident Rinse. Its prescription, its made by Colgate and it has a generic version also. There is also a prevident toothpaste.

Use the mouthwash once a week and you're good. If your dentist doesn't tell you about it and you don't have great teeth, its ONLY because they want to make more money off of you.

Don't quote me, but fairly sure just using a fluoride toothpaste outperforms any kind of weekly mouthwash.

If you drink water which contains fluoride - you will destroy the pineal gland. Guaranteed. Same with a paste. One more thing - any paste by definition is an abrasive substance. So it will slowly remove the enamel - not build it.

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.

Re: when to brush… it’s fascinating to me how little fact-based debate or discussion there really seems to be about this type of personal care custom. Most people just do whatever they’ve always done and haven’t had the chance to hear arguments (besides shallow ones from a roommate or spouse that amount to “that’s not how I was taught.” It’s nice to hear actual reasons.

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.

I use novamin but I can't feel a chemical reaction.

Have you noticed something more promising ? I am not sure, because I typically do not eat carbs.

I feel it on the spot that was sensitive to cold, and that was the reason I looked for something new. The paste is of room temperature, so that feeling must be not a fluke. No idea if it actually works, F+Ca used to be enough.

I use toothpaste with Novamin and I also feel burning / heat. It begins immediately and lasts for about 2 minutes.

I don't feel anything when using it, but it does do a much better job with hot / cold sensitivity than anything else I have tried on the market. I find it more effective than Biomin or Nano-Hydroxyapatite.

> and feel some heat when it contacts with teeth, so the chemical reaction must be working

I dunno, but I also feel some heat when I chew on cinnamon.

The image with the cross section looks convincing. I don’t really know what I’m looking at.

Try biomin F, newer novamin

Seems like this is just protection, not rebuilding of lost enamel.

> marketing leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Hard to brush that one off!

[that was brilliant, you missed your calling. I am completely enamled :D]

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