Tied for First Place as (Arguably) Colgate's "Most Protective" Toothpaste
Written: Jul 14 '08 (Updated Jul 15 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Admirably "low-abrasion" variety of Colgate "Total" toothpaste. Contains the anti-gingivitis ingredient "Triclosan."
Cons: Minty flavor didn't initially impress me as much as competing products; but it's not bad.
The Bottom Line: This product satisfied me (albeit I've encountered somewhat better tasting "minty" toothpastes). In any case, this is surely less abrasive than Crest's "Pro-Health" toothpaste.
|
|
|
| henry_thoreau's Full Review: Colgate Total Mint Stripe Gel Toothpaste Personal... |
Prefatory note: Colgate renamed their former "Fresh Stripe" toothpaste "Mint Stripe Gel." Otherwise (to my knowledge), it's still the same product (not that toothpaste manufacturers can't periodically "tweak" the ingredients in any of their products).
Along with Colgate Total "Clean Mint Paste," which reportedly has an identical RDA* ("abrasivity") value, this Colgate Total "Mint Stripe Gel" is the least abrasive of the Colgate "Total" varieties. [However, I haven't researched the RDA values for all the other (i.e., "non-Total") toothpaste products manufactured by Colgate.]
Thus, if you're seeking the least abrasive versions of Colgate's "Total" product line, "Mint Stripe Gel" (with an admirably low RDA of only "60 to 75") is as good as it gets.
Its discreetly configured combination "flip-top/twist-off" cap might initially seem less visually impressive than the cap used for tubes of Crest's competing "Pro-Health" toothpaste. However, whereas the Crest Pro-Health cap's design results in a somewhat messy, runny, leaky situation (greenish-blue gel) on the interior "rim" of its cap, no such messiness results from the Colgate Total cap's design.
Thankfully, Colgate Total "Mint Stripe Gel" doesn't strike me as being anywhere near as "gritty" or abrasive as the competing Crest "Pro-Health" toothpaste. When I phoned "Crest," two separate representatives declined to disclose any of the RDA numbers for their various toothpastes. Considering that I also read an "independent" (third-party) review several years ago reporting that even Crest's most basic toothpaste product has an RDA number approaching 100; and considering that some other "whitening" varieties of Crest toothpaste had such RDA numbers as "130" and "144", I can only surmise that Crest's latest "Pro-Health" offering's RDA numbers are somewhere near the high end of the "abrasivity" spectrum. I'd like to think it's not so; but if not, why won't Crest (Procter & Gamble) officially, publicly reveal such "abrasivity" information?
Colgate Total Mint Stripe Gel's minty flavor is neither the best nor the worst of its ilk that I've encountered in various toothpastes over the years. [Initially, I somewhat preferred the mint flavor of Arm & Hammer's (loosely speaking) "Original Baking Soda" toothpaste, which, incidentally, is among the least abrasive toothpastes on the market (last I checked, its RDA number was in the low forties). However, that particular version of Arm & Hammer toothpaste might not whiten your teeth quite as much as this Colgate product; moreover, that Arm & Hammer toothpaste lacks the "anti-gingivitis" (antibacterial and antifungal) ingredient ("Triclosan") featured in all the Colgate "Total" toothpaste varieties. Thus is seemingly everything in life, alas, a "tradeoff". Furthermore, I'd be remiss not to mention that Triclosan is at least somewhat controversial, and so you may want to read more about it at Wikipedia or elsewhere.]
All in all, the combination of decent flavor; reasonably low abrasivity; Colgate's proprietary "Triclosan" (anti-gingivitis) ingredient; and, of course, the anti-cavity properties of fluoride make "Mint Stripe Gel" a noteworthy variety of Colgate "Total" toothpaste.
In closing, let me share with you some information that I recently obtained via phoning "Colgate"--not to mention the competing "Arm & Hammer." According to their respective phone representatives, below are the "RDA" numbers for some of their well-known toothpastes/gels. (The lower the RDA number, the less abrasive the toothpaste is to your teeth, not to mention your gums.)
*"Radioactive dentin abrasion" (RDA) numbers for:
Colgate Total oral care products:
Colgate TotalŪ Mint Stripe Gel:
60-75
Colgate TotalŪ Clean Mint Paste:
(60-75?)
Colgate TotalŪ Whitening Gel:
120-140
Colgate TotalŪ Whitening Paste:
120-150
Colgate TotalŪ Advanced Fresh Gel:
120
Colgate TotalŪ Advanced Clean (Plus Whitening):
180-200
Colgate TotalŪ Total Whitening Paste:
120-50
***
ARM & HAMMERŪ Oral Care Products:
Dental Care Advance Cleaning:
49
Enamel Care Advance Cleaning ("Age Defying"):
(number not available when I called)
Peroxi-Care:
42
Advance White Baking Soda & Peroxide:
42
Advance White Sensitive Teeth:
70
Complete Care Intense Freshening:
83
Complete Care Extra Whitening:
81
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
henry_thoreau
|
 in Music, Home and Garden, Books |
 in Electronics |
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Mike
Location: Olathe, KS USA
Reviews written: 180
Trusted by: 206 members
About Me:
"New" background graphic on my Profile_page borrows from Henry_David_Thoreau's sister's drawing of his Walden cabin.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.