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Worth it? Unilever's £10 toothpaste supposedly rebuilds a layer of enamel over holes created by fizzy drinks
However, in an era of the £60 smart toothbrush and research suggesting a Hollywood smile is key to getting a good job, it could be a price worth paying.
Unilever has unveiled a new toothpaste and serum it claims can regenerate 82per cent of tooth enamel after just three days of use.
Its new Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste contains calcium silicate and sodium phosphate, which effectively re-builds a new layer of white enamel on the teeth.
The company is presenting the toothpaste as a beauty product that will sit alongside expensive age-defying creams and potions.
The system helps to form a fresh supply of minerals which wrap and integrate in to the surface of the teeth.
The technology appears to work much like re-plastering a wall, filling any microscopic holes caused by fizzy drinks or sugary foods to leave a strong, smooth finish.
The company claims this has the effect of restoring teeth to their original whiteness while making them much stronger, which means they are less likely to develop cavities.
Unilever says the technology requires the use of a ‘Boosting Serum’ treatment, which costs another £30, once a month and is applied using two custom-fit mouth trays.
Toothpaste manufacturers are constantly looking for new science, pack designs or marketing initiatives to make it appear new, exciting and able to command a higher price.
UK sales are estimated at more than £400million a year, while the global market is put at around £8billion, which delivers rich pickings to global brands like Oral B and Colgate.
Unilever launched the new product yesterday at Selfridges in a bid to play up its beauty product credentials - and it will be going in to the Boots chain from June 11.
Research expert at Unilever, Fred Schafer, who developed the science behind the toothpaste, said: ‘It is not generally understood that 80 per cent of common teeth problems, such as cavities and yellowing, can be caused by acid attacks and enamel erosion.
The company advises other treatments alongside the toothpaste to create the desired effect
‘The problem is that when enamel – the outermost protective layer of our teeth – is lost, our body cannot regenerate it.
‘This product is the world’s first system able to reverse the early, invisible stages of this erosion process and regenerate enamel with exactly the same mineral tooth enamel is made of.’
HOW IT CEMENTS A SMILE...
The two key ingredients in the toothpaste are calcium silicate and sodium phosphate.
Calcium silicate is most commonly derived from limestone and is used heavily in the production of building materials such as cement.
It is also found in table salt and used as an antacid to treat heartburn.
Sodium phosphate is a term for a variety of salts used in processed food to control acid levels and help soften bread.
They feature in medicines such as treatments for constipation.
Calcium silicate is most commonly derived from limestone and is used heavily in the production of building materials such as cement.
It is also found in table salt and used as an antacid to treat heartburn.
Sodium phosphate is a term for a variety of salts used in processed food to control acid levels and help soften bread.
They feature in medicines such as treatments for constipation.
It was developed in collaboration with dental experts from International Oral Health Research Centres and the underlying science is due to be published in the Journal of Dentistry.
The company claims that test tube experiments have proved it can restore 82per cent of tooth enamel after three days. As a result, teeth are said to be three times stronger.
However, the company faces an uphill struggle to convince a sceptical public that Regenerate is any better than cheaper, rival products which claim to have a similar effect.
For example, Sensodyne toothpaste, which costs £4.49, promotes itself on the basis it is possible to treat the pain of sensitive teeth by repairing vulnerable areas of tooth enamel with a formula that includes calcium and phosphate.
Earlier this week, a leading British social scientist said the state of a person’s teeth, rather than their education, is becomingly increasingly important in terms of determining their job prospects and social status.
Malcolm Gladwell argued that bad teeth and being overweight are becoming the new benchmarks of inequality. He suggested those with bad teeth are given a lower chance of success because they are denied certain entry-level jobs.
He said: ‘That’s kind of the way we’re moving as the gap between the fit and the unfit grows. The teeth thing and the obesity problems are the same: they are symptoms of the same set of inferences that are being drawn.
Malcolm Gladwell suggested those with bad teeth have a lower chance of success because they are denied certain jobs. Nowadays many, particularly celebrities like Victoria Beckham, get work done on their teeth
It is evident that people in the public eye increasingly feel under pressure to have a perfect white smile, which is permeating through the rest of the population.
A poll conducted last year by VisionCritical also found that people see whiter teeth as an indication of wealth. The survey showed that people with whiter teeth were thought to earn £10,000 more on average than they actually did.
Sparkling teeth also made them look up to five years younger and improved their employment potential by 10 per cent, results showed.
Eddie Crouch from the British Dental Association has identified a noticeable gap between middle-class teenagers, whose parents are able to afford to have braces, and others who cannot.
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