So Wait, is the Toothpaste Gender Gap a Thing?

Recently, my husband brought home a whitening toothpaste. After a few days of using it, he asked me how I was liking the new find and I answered honestly. “I really don’t like it." I said. To me, the toothpaste has a strange taste and just doesn’t give that fresh, clean, minty feeling I want. He was shocked when I said that and told me that he’s been loving the new toothpaste. “My teeth feel so much cleaner with it,” he said.

Does some of this just come down to personal preference? Sure, probably. But, if TikTok discourse holds any truth (and, let’s be honest, it doesn’t always), it may come down to the gender toothpaste gap. According to some clips on the topic, men and women have salivary differences. Women’s mouths tend to be more acidic, and as a result (according to the TikTok conversation) toothpaste tends to work differently for men and women.

One TikTok claims that toothpaste companies didn’t take this discrepancy into account when creating products. I’ll let you guess which sex toothpastes are made for (hint: It’s men, it’s always men).

We tapped Ben Winters (@thebentist), dentist, orthodontist and founder of Something Nice, to weigh in on this discourse. 

“It’s true that hormonal imbalances and other things women experience (like morning sickness) can increase the acidity and lower the pH of a woman's mouth more than men,” says Dr. Winters. “But the truth is lower ph and the acidity of the mouth is what a good toothpaste should be protecting against.”

One thing to keep in mind? We may be better off avoiding whitening toothpastes.

“Unfortunately some people care more about marketing to a trend than the health of a mouth. Certain toothpastes like whitening toothpastes have lower pHs and can actually make your mouth more acidic,” says Dr. Winters. 

And “natural” toothpastes? Those may be formulated without ingredients (like fluoride) to protect against acid attacks.

The TL;DR? Oral differences between men and women may exist, but “a good toothpaste should work for all men and women,” says the expert.

Ask Clara: What is the pink tax?