A team of investigators discovered that microbeads contained in commercial toothpaste are actually tiny plastic beads that may get lodged on your gums.
A Chicago resident who goes by the name Ada Garcia went to see her dentist after noticing that there are tiny blue particles that are embedded in her gum line.
What she found out after the visit was that the tiny blue particles are the microbeads in the toothpaste she uses. What shocked Garcia more was to find out that the microbeads in her toothpaste are made of polyethylene.
Polyethylene (PE or polyethene or polymethylene), according to chemists, is the most common type of plastic. It is used in the manufacture of packaging materials such as plastic bags, films and plastic containers.
Garcia reported that having those tiny beads lodged in her gums and along her gumline is very uncomfortable not only for their appearance but by the direct feeling of discomfort in the presence of these tiny beads gives her.
Moreover, a concern gives Garcia a greater discomfort knowing that there are foreign bodies lodged in her gums that are made of plastic. Being a dental assistant, she knows fully well that the presence of foreign bodies in the gum line makes one highly susceptible to periodontal defects.
Dr. Lule Jusufi, an Illinois Dentist says that over 20 percent of her patients have microbeads embedded in their gums. Dr. Jusufi further says that these patients and everyone else who have microbeads lodged and/or embedded in their gum line should take immediate action as these lodged plastic particles can cause inflammation and infection which can spiral to the most uncomfortable teeth and gum disorders.
While the FDA has approved the used of these polyethylene microbeads in the manufacture of toothpastes, Procter and Gamble, being one of the manufacturers who were found to be using these tiny particles in some of their toothpaste brands, said that they will altogether remove this component in their products.
On top of periodontal defects, investigators also said that the microbeads also pose harm to the environment being non-biodegradable material.