White & White Toothpaste manufactured by the Japanese company Lion is perhaps the most famous tooth care product from the Land of the Rising Sun. You can buy it today in some large stores, and it is also widely represented in online sales. Largely due to its exoticism and partly - thanks to good reviews, this product is in stable demand in almost all large cities, especially in the Far East, where the paste easily gets directly from Japanese stores.
At the same time, White & White is not the only Japanese toothpaste available to buyers in Russia and the CIS countries (we will talk about some other brands of such pastes a little lower). Even more than that: the Lion brand itself is represented in Russia by a large assortment of not only dentifrices, but also cosmetics.
Well, if you have a desire to protect your teeth from caries and thoroughly whiten them by introducing a bit of oriental exotic into this process - it makes sense to pay attention to Japanese toothpastes and try them out. In particular, the reviews show that White & White toothpaste is generally of good quality, but does it have a “twist” and how much it can surprise with its composition - let's look at these points in more detail ...
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“She lived for 30 years and didn’t even know that Japanese toothpastes are sold in our country. Quite by chance I found out that white & white, it turns out, is just that, oriental. I tried it: nothing like that, nice, minty taste does not burn, like our vigorous Russian. Previously, my teeth began to break from whitening pastes, but here everything is fine, although I have been using it for a long time. It is said that there are still Japanese pastes for painful gums. I just need this, I used to use Paradontax, but I couldn’t get used to its nasty taste ... ”
Polina Igorevna, Yaroslavl
The composition and effect of the paste Lion White & White
On most Russian-language websites of online stores, it is indicated that the main active components of Lion White & White toothpaste are calcium bicarbonate and sodium monofluoride. Apparently, the translator was far from chemistry, since calcium bicarbonate is a compound that is stable only in aqueous solutions, and quickly disintegrates into calcium carbonate, carbon dioxide and water when trying to isolate it in solid form (or at least get a suspension).
So one of the specific components of Lion White & White toothpaste is, of course, not calcium bicarbonate, but calcium carbonate - the compound that forms, for example, the basis of chalk and eggshells. A feature of calcium carbonate is a very pronounced abrasiveness - it is used as part of a number of “hard” whitening pastes with increased abrasion ability (in other words, with a high index of controlled abrasivity RDA; for example President White Plus Toothpaste).
The second important active ingredient of White & White paste is sodium monofluoride, or, in other words, sodium fluoride. This compound is part of most fluoride pastes and helps strengthen and mineralize tooth enamel.
On a note
Using whitening toothpastes people with thin sensitive enamel should be done very carefully. Highly abrasive paste can seriously aggravate the situation with painful tooth sensitivity and can even lead to erosion in the cervical region and deepening of wedge-shaped defects.
Here is the complete component composition of White & White toothpaste:
- Calcium carbonate (abrasive);
- Silicon dioxide (abrasive, as well as a consistency regulator);
- Sodium fluoride (mineralizing component);
- Sorbitol (a non-sugar sweetener as well as a moisturizer);
- Mint fragrance (flavoring);
- Saccharin (another sweetener significantly more effective than sorbitol);
- Carboxymethyl cellulose (thickener);
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (surfactant, foaming agent and, one might say, detergent);
- Polypropylene glycol (humectant);
- Benzalkonium chloride (preservative, antimicrobial component).
Thus, the composition of Japanese toothpaste from Lion does not offer us anything outstanding: there are neither enzymes that dissolve the protein base of plaque, nor polyphosphates that would loosen the tartar matrix, nor calcium glycerophosphate or calcium citrate, which would contribute to the saturation of enamel calcium, compensating for the aggressive effect of abrasives on it.
Nevertheless, based on the specified composition, it can be expected that it will more or less cope with the responsibilities assigned to the paste (that is, it will protect to some extent from caries and will help brighten teeth due to abrasion of colored plaque).
Oddly enough, on the sites of suppliers, the paste is described as having a mild cleansing effect, low abrasion, not damaging enamel, not causing tooth sensitivity, restoring enamel and even contributing to the restoration of gums due to vitamin E. Although in our age of commerce and the desire to get the highest price at all costs benefit - what's so strange about it? ..
An example of enchanting description:
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“Together with other“ tooth whiteners, ”as I call them, the Japanese Lion White & White toothpaste passed through my hands. Passed, and did not linger. In principle, a good pasta really bleaches, but I can’t say something very laudatory about it. Nothing surprised. It bleaches mediocrely, the smile, as I had a yellow one, remained. Well, maybe half a ton in three weeks, at best, cleared. The advantage of pasta is the price, only 350 rubles per 170 grams, it is not as expensive as some others. In general, I can recommend it to those who need to inexpensively and slowly whiten their teeth and prevent plaque formation. ”
Ksenia, Moscow
How effective is the paste?
In general, it can be noted that both theoretical assumptions and customer reviews show that Lyon White & White toothpaste has a whitening effect of medium severity, despite the presence of highly abrasive calcium carbonate (the final abrasiveness of the paste depends on the concentration of abrasives, the technology for their preparation and processing) . You should not expect miracles from pasta and a Hollywood smile after two days of use: a noticeable result will appear at best after two weeks of regular use in accordance with the instructions.
At the same time, there are all prerequisites to believe that the paste can lead to abrasion of enamel and increase its sensitivity. Judging by the reviews, such situations happen relatively rarely, mainly in those people whose enamel was originally weak and sensitive.
Nevertheless, when buying White & White, whose RDA abrasion index is unknown, it is necessary to consider that there are whitening pastes with guaranteed low abrasiveness - people with sensitive enamel should better focus on them (Sensodyne Gentle Whitening, PresiDENT Renome, etc.)
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“... I had one time and toothpaste from Japan, my mother brought me from a business trip to Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Name - white & white, manufactured by Lion. It is declared as whitening and gentle for teeth. But after the third cleaning from her, my teeth started to ache, so much so that it was impossible to drive with a brush. I gave it to my husband, switched to the usual Forest Balm, two days later the pain went away. And her husband is still brushing Japanese, and he is fine, there is no pain, and his teeth seem to have become a bit lighter. In general, a tool with an individual effect didn’t suit me personally. ”
Ksenia, Moscow
As for the effectiveness of White & White paste in terms of protection against caries, the main role is given to sodium fluoride (as, incidentally, in many other pastes).
But people with diseased gums, prone to inflammation and bleeding, have nothing to rely on - there are no ingredients in the paste that would have a clear and well-defined healing effect on the gums.
Other Lion Pastes: Product Overview
The Lion brand was created in Japan in 1891, and to this day remains one of the leaders in the production of oral care products, as well as cosmetics and hygiene products in Japan. Over its long history, the company has managed to develop and market many toothpastes.
We list some of them:
- Lion Clinica Soft Mint - is positioned as a complex action with a mint flavor. In addition to a completely standard set of ingredients, it also contains the enzyme dextranase - this enzyme helps to dissolve the carbohydrate base of plaque;
- Lion Zact Smokers Toothpaste - a special paste for smokers that prevents the development of plaque and eliminates the smell of tobacco smoke from the mouth;
- Lion Dentor Systema - a whole line of products for the prevention of gum disease (contain the antibacterial component isopropylmethylphenol);
- Lion Herbal Medicine - a paste based on 6 plant extracts (including rosemary, sage, cork tree bark and carrots);
- Lion Dent Health Medicated Smooth Gel Toothpaste - a special paste for the prevention of gingivitis;
- A range of Lion Dentor Clear MAX special refreshing pastes for everyday use.
And etc.
Unfortunately, all this diversity is quite difficult to find in Russian stores. Most of these toothpastes are available mainly to residents of large Far Eastern cities.
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“I noticed that in Tokyo, in almost all hotels and even restaurants in the toilets there is a tube of Japanese toothpaste Lyon Dentor Max. They use it instead of chewing gum in order to freshen the breath. I asked our guide, she said that this paste does not have a special healing effect, but quickly cleanses the entire mouth, which is why everyone has it for rinsing the mouth quickly. I tried it, I almost fainted from such an amount of mint. Right already frozen everything. As a breath freshener, this paste will work, but I would beware of using it every day. ”
Olga, Khabarovsk
Japanese toothpastes: what else does the Land of the Rising Sun offer us
In addition to Lyon pastes, in some Russian online stores you can also buy pastes of the KAO trademark, one of the main competitors of Lion.
For example, KAO Clear Clean Menthol - a paste that prevents the growth of cariogenic bacteria and strengthens tooth enamel, has a pronounced mint flavor. KAO Clear Clean Kids - Designed for use by children.
In general, the assortment of dentifrices in Japan itself is very large, and only “grains” of this variety fall on the Russian market.
If you have experience using Japanese-made toothpastes, be sure to leave your review, even if very small, at the bottom of this page. Perhaps this review will be very useful to someone and will allow you to draw the right conclusions before buying.
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