This is my review for the Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening toothpaste based on my experience while using it. I’ll give you all of my subjective opinions as well as the objective facts about this oral care product.
Yes, I am a dentist so don’t skip the section about how this toothpaste works, particularly about its desensitizing and enamel protection claims.
My goal is to help you in deciding whether or not this toothpaste may potentially be the right one for you.
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Overview
The Gentle Whitening toothpaste by Sensodyne Pronamel was designed to protect your enamel and reduce sensitivity all while gently whitening them.
It’s meant to be used as an everyday toothpaste where you can use it all year round so it is a stand alone dentifrice.
Featured benefits
Benefits of brushing with it twice daily includes:
- Rebuild enamel strength for strong healthy teeth.
- Protect against the effects of dietary acids.
- Provide sensitivity relief and lasting sensitivity protection.
- Restore natural whiteness.
- Clean effectively and freshen breath.
- Protect against cavities.
The core focus for the Pronamel line of toothpastes are to protect your teeth and alleviate sensitivity.
The differences between the various product lines typically include an additional benefit and for the gentle whitening, it is to whiten your teeth in a safe manner.
Directions for use
The directions are for adults and children 12 years of age and older.
How to use it:
- Apply at least a 1-inch strip of toothpaste onto a soft bristle toothbrush.
- Brush teeth for at least 1 minute twice a day (morning & evening) and not more than 3 times a day, or as recommended by a dentist.
- Make sure to brush all sensitive areas of the teeth.
- Minimize swallowing and spit out after brushing.
My commentary:
- I’m intrigued that the directions say to brush your teeth for at least 1 minute rather than the commonly recommended 2 minutes.
- Although studies have shown that 3 minutes is even better than 2.
- They limit usage of the toothpaste to thrice a day unless your dentist tells you otherwise. For the record, we fully endorse, the best oral hygiene practice of brushing after every meal.
Product specifications
| Attributes | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Price | $ |
| Net weight | 4 oz (113 g) |
| Dispensing mechanism | Squeezable tube |
| Remineralizing agent | Sodium Fluoride |
| Desensitizer | Potassium Nitrate |
| SLS | None |
Ingredients
There’s a total of 13 ingredients in the gentle whitening toothpaste by Pronamel.
Remineralization:
- Sodium Fluoride (0.25%) – anti-cavity.
Desensitizer:
- Potassium Nitrate 5%
Whitening abrasives:
- Hydrated Silica – mild natural whitening abrasive.
Flavoring:
- Sorbitol – sweetener/humectant.
- Flavor
- Sodium Saccharin – sweetener
pH adjuster:
- Sodium Hydroxide – pH adjuster.
Others:
- Water – solvent.
- Glycerin – humectant (prevents drying out).
- PEG-8 – lubrication and spreadability.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine – surfactant/detergent/foaming.
- Titanium Dioxide – adds white color.
- Xanthan Gum – gives the toothpaste body.
Unboxing
The Gentle Whitening toothpaste comes in a rectangular cardboard box with a cut out in the shape of the pronamel logo showing the tube’s cap.
It has a white, teal, blue and green color scheme. Although despite the abundance of wording, it gives off a simple but clean feeling product design.
Overall, the initial impression of the packaging is very similar to all of the other pronamel toothpastes. It’s not overly fancy by any means but the aesthetic does appeal to me since I do prefer simplicity.
You can find the lot number and expiration date on one of the ends of the box.
What I did notice was that the product box was not sealed with glue or tape. You can open and close it pretty easily.
Inside of the box is one tube of toothpaste with no additional contents.
The tube of toothpaste looks very similar to all of the other sensodyne pronamel products. They really wanted to stay consistent with their design, branding, and image.
As for the dispensing mechanism, it is a plastic squeezable tube with a twist off cap. The twisting is not very deep but there is an audible click towards the end to let you know that you’ve fully sealed it shut.
After having tried a ton of toothpastes, the twist off cap from sensodyne falls within the middle of the pack in regards to my preference. The shape of it is definitely much better than a purely cylindrical one but I still prefer a flip cap.
Although I must say that the biggest benefit of a screw cap design is that it is much more secure. You can bring it with you while traveling and not have it accidentally open and spill all over your luggage.
Last but not least, the way the cap is designed permits the tube of toothpaste to be stored upright in an vertical position.
In my opinion, this helps to keep the bathroom counter more organized especially if you compared to the lay flat type of toothpastes.
My experience
What I immediately noticed after brushing with the gentle whitening toothpaste was it’s relatively strong mint flavor. It did clean my mouth very well despite the low foaming. Although the lathering was pretty good.
Overall, it was comparable to the other pronamel toothpastes that I’ve tried so far but this one did have the strongest mint flavor as of yet.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Color | Opaque White |
| Smell | Mint/Menthol |
| Taste | Mint/Menthol |
| Texture | Soft & Non-abrasive |
| Foaminess | Low Foaming |
| Cleanliness | Clean |
| Sensitivity | No sensitivity |
Color
The color of this toothpaste is a solid opaque white color. There are no artificial dyes in the formulation. The color is mostly due to the titanium dioxide.
I prefer white colored toothpaste. If you’ve used charcoal or purple toothpaste before, you’ll know the type of mess it can leave in the sink after brushing.
The white colored paste is for those who are lazy with cleaning the sink. I am proud to be one of those so this color choice is perfect for me.
Smell
There is a relatively strong mint smell to it especially if you squeeze the tube a couple of times. The mintiness is more medicinal or menthol-like rather than the sweet candy type of mint.
Taste
The taste is more along the lines of a menthol type of mint. It doesn’t taste sweet like the candy type of mint.
Texture
The texture of the gentle whitening toothpaste is solid but soft (it doesn’t droop off). There is no gritty nor abrasive feeling to it while I was brushing.
Overall, pronamel toothpastes tend to be on the lower end with their abrasiveness. They often come in with very low RDA values (relative dentin abrasivity). That makes them enamel safe.
Last but not least, it holds its shape pretty well even when I invert the toothbrush.
Therefore you don’t have to worry about it sliding off in case you weren’t paying attention while handling your toothbrush. Sometimes it happens when you look away for a second and find the toothpaste in the sink.
That won’t happen with this toothpaste!
Foaminess
Like other pronamel toothpastes, the gentle whitening does not have any SLS so there is very minimal foaming.
However, it does still lather pretty well with a very light mouthful feeling as I was brushing. Overall the standard 1 inch strip of paste is sufficient to brush with.
Cleanliness
My mouth felt clean after I finished brushing but this tends to be the case with most mint flavored pastes. Since this one is especially minty, you do get a little bit of that spicy tingle afterwards.
Sensitivity
This is an anti-sensitivity toothpaste so no, I did not experience any teeth sensitivity afterwards. The entire Sensodyne brand was designed for people with sensitive teeth!
I don’t think people without sensitivity even use it.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Prevents cavities (sodium fluoride).
- Reduces teeth sensitivity (potassium nitrate).
- SLS-free.
- Stores upright.
Cons:
- Cost more than regular toothpaste.
- Twist off cap.
- Strong menthol mint flavor.
- Won’t bleach teeth whiter.
Does it work?
The three main benefits of using the Pronamel gentle whitening toothpaste is that it can protect enamel, desensitize teeth, and gently whiten them.
Does it work?
Yes, this sensodyne toothpaste does work although the whitening part may be a bit different than what you’re probably imagining.
Protects weakened enamel
This toothpaste can help rebuild and restore weakened enamel because it contains sodium fluoride and lacks SLS.
- Sodium fluoride. The inclusion of fluoride helps to enhance tooth remineralization, inhibit demineralization, and strengthen the enamel.
- SLS-free. Studies have shown that sodium lauryl sulfate actually interfere with the fluoride uptake for teeth. SLS will bind to the fluoride thus decreasing the bioavailability.
Most toothpastes do use SLS in their formulation and that decreases the fluoride efficacy. The gentle whitening toothpaste does not contain it so it can maximize the efficacy of fluoride.
Therefore it can rightly so call itself the enamel protection specialist!
Reduces sensitivity
As with most pronamel toothpastes, it can reduce teeth sensitivity because it contains potassium nitrate. This ingredient acts as a nerve depolarization agent which numbs the tooth nerve.
That means the tooth can still be stimulated but you just won’t feel anything. An analogy would be if you were numb from getting novocaine.
How potassium nitrate desensitizes teeth:
- Brushing with it will supply an overabundance of potassium ions to the nerve.
- Excessive K+ will reverse the extracellular concentration gradient.
- Reversal of the gradient prevents action potential propagation.
The end result is a reduction in dentin hypersensitivity.
How long it takes to work
For sensitivity reduction with potassium nitrate, the full desensitizing effect may not be apparent until 12 weeks later.
Studies have shown that symptoms gradually improved week over week with twice daily brushing. The relief from sensitivity continued to improve all the way up to the 12th week.
Therefore you should start to notice an improvement in symptoms after 1-2 weeks of use. Although you need to continue using it for at least 12 weeks to see its full desensitizing effect.
Also if you stop using the toothpaste, the desensitizing effect will wear off so you must continue to use it without stopping.
How it whitens
The pronamel gentle whitening toothpaste does not contain any peroxide so it will not chemically bleach your teeth. However, what it will do is mechanically abrade extrinsic surface stains.
That means if you have coffee/tea/wine stains on the surface of your teeth, this toothpaste can mechanically remove it and make your teeth whiter. It uses hydrated silica (whitening abrasive) to physically remove these stains.
What it won’t do is chemically oxidize intrinsic tooth stains that may be deeply embedded within the tooth. This type of whitening is what your dentist uses for in office treatment.
Therefore if your tooth discoloration is from intrinsic staining, this toothpaste won’t do much for you. Although if you have extrinsic staining, this can help make them whiter by removing those stains.
It is helpful to understand the distinction between these two types of teeth stains.
How it compares to other pronamel toothpastes
For the most part, most pronamel toothpastes are very similar to one another. The bulk of their ingredients are identical but with a handful of exceptions.
Although from a personal use perspective, the biggest distinguishing feature from the pronamel gentle whitening would be its smell and flavor. It has a very strong menthol mint taste and smell to it.
Out of all of the pronamel products that I’ve tried, it has the strongest menthol-mint taste and flavor. Aside from that, I can’t really pick out any other defining attribute or characteristic.
Verdict
Overall, I would rate the Sensodyne Pronamel gentle whitening as a good daily protection toothpaste. What I mean by that is that it does a solid job at protecting your teeth/enamel if you compare it to other toothpaste brands.
Their primary focus is on protecting your teeth and reducing teeth sensitivity. If those are your two biggest oral health issues, this would be the toothpaste for you.
Nonetheless, that concludes the review of the pronamel gentle whitening toothpaste by a dentist!