This is my personal review of the Sensodyne Pronamel Mineral Boost toothpaste. I’ll be showing you the unboxing, discuss all of its technical specifications along with all of its pros and cons.
Yes, I am a dentist so you can bet that we’ll talk about the scientific mechanisms behind how this product does what it alleges to do. You probably also want to know about how this pronamel toothpaste is different compared to the others.
The mineral boost toothpaste by Sensodyne Pronamel was made to protect sensitive teeth by replenishing it with vital minerals. That is why this oral care product was named the “Mineral Boost”.
It is supposed to be an adequate replacement for your everyday toothpaste. It is not a one time or periodic use product.
Featured benefits
Benefits of twice daily brushing includes:
- Protect enamel against effects of dietary acids.
- Prevent enamel loss.
- Relieve sensitive teeth.
- Protect against cavities.
- Clean and freshen your mouth.
If these benefits sound protective it’s because pronamel prides themselves as being the specialist in enamel protection. That’s what the brand and its customers have come to stand for and like.
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.
- Spit out after brushing and do not swallow.
It seems like the directions are pretty consistent across all of the pronamels.
Product specifications
| Attributes | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Price | $ |
| Net weight | 4 oz (113 g) |
| Dispensing mechanism | Squeezable tube |
| Remineralization agent | Sodium Fluoride |
| Desensitizer | Potassium Nitrate |
| SLS | None |
Ingredients
There are 11 ingredients in the Mineral Boost toothpaste from Pronamel and it is their most minimalistic product. It does not contain: SLS, artificial dyes, parabens, triclosan, & peroxides.
Active ingredients
- Potassium Nitrate 5% – Anti-sensitivity.
- Sodium Fluoride 0.25% – Anti-cavity.
Inactive ingredients
| Toothpaste Benefit | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Whitening Abrasive | Hydrated Silica |
| Flavoring | Sorbitol Flavor Sodium Saccharin |
| Humectant | Glycerin (prevents desiccation) |
| Body/Texture | Cocamidopropyl Betaine (foaming/lathering) Xanthan Gum |
| Others | Water (solvent) Titanium Dioxide (white coloring) |
Unboxing
The Mineral Boost toothpaste comes in your typical rectangular cardboard box with no standout features. Sensodyne went with their usual pronamel color theme of white, teal and blue.
Overall, my initial impression of the packaging design is that it is very similar to all of the other pronamel toothpastes that I’ve reviewed. It’s not overly fancy but the simplicity of the aesthetic does speak out to me.
The top and bottom of the box did not have any tape or glue so it requires no effort to open it. The lot and expiration date are on the bottom of the flap.
Inside of the box is one tube of toothpaste with no additional contents. All of the written information that you need will be either on the box or on the tube.
The toothpaste looks and feels very similar to all of the other pronamel products. It is made of plastic and the paste dispensing mechanism requires manual labor by squeezing it.
To use the toothpaste, you do need to twist off the cap. An audible click can be heard at the end to let you know that it is safe and securely sealed.
Maybe you don’t know this but since the cap has a broad flat base, it can be used as a toothpaste stand. Yes, you can store this product vertically in an upright position just like a lot of cosmetic products.
In my opinion, this gives it a cleaner and more organized look than the toothpastes which lay horizontally on the counter. Loving the way that oral care products are heading!
My experience
During in vivo testing, the neutral taste and minimalistic foaming are the two most distinguishing features to me while brushing with the mineral boost. Aside from that I can’t really tell it apart from the other pronamel toothpastes.
Yeah, I mean it’s not like you’re going to be able to feel it protecting your enamel… I mean it does but that’s not something that is perceivable.
Overall, my mouth felt pretty clean afterwards and I have no complaints with using it at all. I feel like it does its job properly and it doesn’t give me a reason to not like it.
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Color | Opaque White |
| Smell | Mint |
| Taste | Neutral |
| Texture | Soft & Non-abrasive |
| Foaminess | Low Foam |
| Cleanliness | Clean |
| Sensitivity | No sensitivity |
Appearance
This toothpaste has your typical opaque white coloring, most likely due to the mineral, titanium dioxide in the ingredient. True to their claims, there are no color dyes in the paste.
There are no sparkles, shimmers, or glitters, it’s just your basic white paste.
Flavor
It smells a lot mintier than it tastes. I can definitely smell the mint from it but while I’m brushing with it, I can barely taste it.
I wouldn’t really call it “mint flavored” because it is more like a neutral flavor with a tiny hint of mint. That is how mild the taste is.
Although I do find it interesting that they say that their product is “infused with refreshing peppermint” even though I can barely taste it.
Texture
This toothpaste texture feels very soft and non-abrasive. As soon as I started brushing with it, the paste literally melts into the teeth, that is a testament to its softness. This also means that it will not harm your enamel from abrasiveness.
Despite the paste’s soft texture, it holds its shape fairly well. When I perform the upside down toothbrush test, it doesn’t slump off. It stays on the bristles so you don’t have to be extra cautious with it prior to placing it in your mouth.
Foaminess
This pronamel toothpaste, similar to all of their other ones have low foaming due to a lack of sodium lauryl sulfate in the formulation.
The image below shows the amount of foam in my mouth after brushing for 2 minutes without spitting or drooling.
The extremely foamy toothpastes will have thick foam around my lips and will drip down my arm and to the sink as I’m brushing. You will not get that with this.
Dare I say, you can walk around while brushing with this and not worry about it drooping all over the place.
Cleanliness
My teeth felt pretty clean afterwards and it gave me the impression that it did what it was supposed to do. It did not make me feel like it was lacking in any way.
Sensitivity
This is an anti-sensitivity toothpaste so I did not experience any teeth sensitivity afterwards. The entire Sensodyne brand was designed for people with sensitive teeth!
Although to be fair, I don’t really get sensitive teeth to begin with so I’m technically not the best test subject for this benefit.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Neutral tasting.
- Minimal ingredients.
- Prevents cavities (sodium fluoride).
- Reduces teeth sensitivity (potassium nitrate).
- SLS-free (Maximizes fluoride absorption).
- Stores upright.
- Less expensive than other pronamel toothpastes.
Cons:
- Cost more than regular toothpaste.
- Twist off cap.
- I think this toothpaste may be getting phased out or discontinued.
My concern
I may be wrong but I get the feeling that this particular toothpaste may be getting discontinued soon. I don’t see it listed on their newest brochure and I also had an incredibly difficult time finding it in nearby pharmacies.
The image above is the newest Pronamel brochure that I received from the sales rep. Lo and behold, it is not listed on there at all.
Then there is also the fact that I had to travel to 5+ pharmacies to even find this toothpaste. When I did find it, I also noticed that the box was different from their newest designs, which has a cutout of the pronamel logo on the box.
The combination of these factors lead me to believe it may be getting phased out.
Aside from that, the description of its features also sound oddly similar to the Pronamel Intensive Enamel Repair toothpaste.
Does it replenish vital tooth minerals?
The major stated benefit of using the Pronamel Mineral Boost toothpaste is that it will help replenish vita minerals for the teeth. This is in addition to enamel acid erosion protection and teeth desensitization, which are the core effects of pronamel products.
Yes, the mineral boost toothpaste can replenish vital tooth minerals if you compare it to other toothpaste brands. However, if I compare it to other pronamel toothpastes, the benefit isn’t as distinct.
Compared to other toothpastes, it replenishes minerals
The mineral boost toothpaste replenishes minerals because it has a fluoride optimized formulation. It mostly relies on the enamel repair properties of fluoride and it also excludes SLS which minimizes fluoride interference.
How fluoride replenishes tooth minerals:
Therefore, fluoride is reparative in nature but unbeknownst to most, sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpaste actually decrease fluoride efficacy. Since this toothpaste does NOT contain it, it allows the fluoride to work unhindered.
It is due to the combination of it being a fluoride-based toothpaste without SLS that it can make the claim that it “replenishes” minerals.
Since most dentifrices do contain or use SLS, you can consider them to be non-optimized for fluoride. If you compare them to this toothpaste, they will not replenish the tooth minerals as effectively!
Compared to other pronamels, it’s not that different
I wish to point out that the mineral replenishing effect is not as distinct when compared to other pronamel products. The reason is because most pronamels share a couple of core ingredients and NONE of them use SLS.
In other words, all pronamels have this mineral boosting effect so its not unique to the mineral boost product line.
Then there is also the fact that this product has the least amount of ingredients in its formulation. That implies you shouldn’t expect extra benefits from this over the other product lines.
Verdict
Overall, I would rate the Sensodyne Pronamel Mineral Boost as a good everyday toothpaste especially when compared to SLS-based ones. It is more protective since it has a fluoride optimized formulation.
Benefits:
- Optimized fluoride formulation to help prevent and reverse cavities.
- Anti-sensitivity to protect your teeth from discomforting stimuli.
Who this toothpaste is best for: If you need a protective toothpaste such as if you were prone to tooth decay or acid erosion, this will serve you well.
I would highly recommend using this over a toothpaste with SLS if you fit the above two categories. It’ll be much better for you.
My only reservation would be if this product gets discontinued… Although if they do, pronamel does offer other similar options so you can switch to one of those. My first choice alternative would be the Intensive Enamel Repair which is even more effective at boosting minerals.
Nonetheless, that concludes the review of the pronamel mineral boost toothpaste by a dentist!