Katerina Ekzhu

The main trio of ingredients in today’s toothpaste are abrasives, fluoride and detergent.

Making up between 8 and 20% of standard toothpastes, abrasives polish your teeth to help remove plaque. If your teeth have ever felt “fuzzy”, that was plaque, the film of bacteria caused by sugars and starches in your food. It is this that the abrasives work to remove.

Fluoride prevents cavities, and is also thought to help with the formation of dental enamel.

As for detergents or “surfactants”, that’s the stuff that makes toothpaste foam in your mouth.

Blood Pressure Ranges

A liquid called plasma makes up about half of the content of blood. Plasma contains proteins that help blood to clot, transport substances through the blood, and perform other functions. Blood plasma also contains glucose and other dissolved nutrients.

About half of blood volume is composed of blood cells: