Sensodyne Extra Whitening Toothpaste Review

One day our Crest toothpaste just disappeared.  Poof, just like that.  It was as if the earth was thrown slightly off its axis.  You know what I'm talking about here, don't you?  That sneaking suspicion that something just isn't right.

Sensodyne Extra Whitening Toothpaste

In its place I found Sensodyne for sensitive teeth.  Funny, I had never thought of my teeth as particularly sensitive.  "Hon, is someone having trouble with their teeth?", I asked the lovely Mrs Xeno.  "It's better for us", she reponded.  End of discussion.  So, I walked off, scratching my head, thinking to myself, "I thought I was the product reviewer in this family."  But, deciding that this wasn't the mountain peak that I was prepared to die on, I did the sensible thing.  I used it to brush my teeth.  It does appear to work.  My teeth are noticeably whiter and those little pains I never seemed to much notice when I drank either hot or cold seemed to disappear.

When did we develop this need?

In recent years, teeth bleaching kits have become increasingly popular.  And, one of the side effects of teeth whiteners is heightened sensitivity.  Hence the need for toothpaste for sensitive teeth.  Now while I haven't really been into teeth bleaching, over the years I have had massive amounts of dental work performed as I helped all my dentist friends finance the Bar and Bat Mitzvah's of their children.  Yes, I guess my teeth were in fact sensitive.

The Secret Ingredient

Sensodyne uses the chemical Potassium Nitrate as a desensitizing agent.  Potassium Nitrate (also known as saltpeter) has several interesting uses.  When mixed with sulphur and charcoal it produces gunpowder.  Mix it with sugar and corn syrup and it becomes the rocket fuel of choice of hobbyists.  Sprinkle some on your dog's food and he stops trying to mount every other dog (and your leg) in the neighborhood.  Yes, I guess it must be a desensitizer!

When I was in the US Army, the rumor was that our food was laced with saltpeter to put a governor on our sex drives. True?  I have no idea, but if it was I must have had one hell of a sex drive back then.  I wonder where it went?  Hey, you don't think that that's what Mrs. Xeno...Nah!

My Viewpoint

Okay, this stuff does seem to work.  In addition to the desensitizing ingredient it has all the normal toothpaste stuff (fluoride) in it plus a whitening agent.  It is a little pricy, and there are now identical store brands (CVS) that will do the job less expensively.  If you have sensitive teeth it makes sense.  If you don't, I suggest you just go with the flow if it displaces your Crest.

Rudi