The difference between the different pronamel toothpastes are due to the formulation difference in the inactive ingredients among them. These different inactive ingredients give each pronamel a unique characteristic and perceived benefit.
Types of Pronamel toothpaste:
Active Shield
Essential Care
Gentle Whitening
Intensive Enamel Repair
In other words, all pronamel toothpastes are NOT the same. The only exception would be the flavor variants for each product line which are identical but with the only difference being its taste.
Pronamel Active Shield
The most prominent feature that you'll notice with the Pronamel Active Shield toothpaste is that it foams a lot more. Yes, it legitimately foams the most when compared to the other 3 types of pronamel.
Overview of Active Shield features:
Distinguishing feature - Most foaming pronamel.
Ingredient differences - Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium lactate, PVM/MA copolymer.
Advantages - Greater foaming sensation.
Disadvantages - May interfere with fluoride uptake.
Most foamy pronamel
The primary reason as to why the active shield toothpaste foams more is because it has an additional ingredient in it called Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate. This ingredient is a detergent/foaming agent albeit less harsh than SLS.
Below is a image of the amount of foam I had when using the active shield.
Now compare that to the amount of foam that I had when I brushed with the pronamel daily protection toothpaste.
Who it's best for
The Active Shield toothpaste is best for those who like the mouthful feeling of foam while they are brushing. This is the most foamy toothpaste from pronamel.
Pronamel admittedly created this toothpaste because they were aware that a lot of customers wanted more foaming. A common critique of their products is that it does not foam enough, which is objectively true.
Why pronamel doesn't foam as much
All of their toothpastes do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and the result of that is decreased foaming while brushing. The entire brand is in fact SLS-free.
Based on my personal experience, the pronamel toothpastes do in fact foam a lot less than toothpastes with SLS such as the Colgate Total.
Below are images showing the amount of foaming that I get when I use the colgate total which is a sodium lauryl sulfate based toothpaste.
Pronamel Essential Care
The distinguishing feature for the pronamel essential care toothpaste such as the daily protection is that there isn't any. The reason is because this is their base level toothpaste or entry level product which all of the other pronamels are based off of.
Overview of Essential Care features:
Distinguishing feature - Entry level pronamel without bells and whistles.
Ingredient differences - None, contains all core ingredients.
Advantages - Original pronamel formulation.
Disadvantages - No additional effects.
Entry level product
To be more specific, the essential care toothpastes are what I would consider the "core product" for pronamel.
All of the other pronamel toothpastes contain the same exact ingredient as the essential care.
The other pronamel toothpastes typically contain 1-3 additional ingredients which give them their extra benefit.
Essentially (no pun intended), this toothpaste is practically the original or "OG" pronamel toothpaste which all of the other ones were spawned out of.
Who it's best for
The Essential Care toothpastes are best for those who just want an anti-cavity and anti-sensitivity benefit without any bells or whistles. There are no additional benefits and it has all of the necessities for oral care.
As an additional perk, this toothpaste is the most affordable and cost effective since it comes in the largest size.
Exception
While most pronamel toothpaste variants are identical except for the flavor, the multi-action toothpaste does have an extra ingredient in it. It contains mica which makes the toothpaste sparkle.
The image below shows what mica added to toothpaste looks like.
Mineral Boost
Currently there is a toothpaste called the Pronamel Mineral Boost but it is not listed on the brochure. Although if I had to classify it, I would place it with the essential care products due to its ingredients composition.
My hunch is that this wasn't listed in the brochure because it may be getting phased out soon or discontinued.
Pronamel Gentle Whitening
The most prominent feature that you'll notice when using the Pronamel Gentle Whitening toothpaste will be its strong menthol-mint flavor. Benefit wise, it is their best whitening toothpaste out of the four different types.
Overview of Gentle Whitening features:
Distinguishing feature - Strong menthol-mint flavor.
Ingredient differences - Nearly identical to essential care.
Advantages - Removes extrinsic stains more effectively.
Disadvantages - Very strong taste.
Differences vs Pronamel Essential Care
The pronamel gentle whitening is nearly identical to the pronamel essential care toothpaste because it has the same ingredients.
However, the strong flavor and additional whitening effect can be explained by the difference in concentration of titanium dioxide and sodium saccharin.
Gentle whitening inactive ingredients:
Water
Sorbitol
Hydrated silica
Glycerin
PEG-8
Cocamidopropyl betaine
Flavor
Titanium dioxide
Xanthan gum
Sodium saccharin
Sodium hydroxide
Essential care inactive ingredients:
Water
Sorbitol
Hydrated silica
Glycerin
PEG-8
Cocamidopropyl betaine
Flavor
Xanthan gum
Sodium saccharin
Titanium dioxide
Sodium hydroxide
The differences:
Gentle whitening has more titanium dioxide which makes it more effective at whitening since it is a whitening abrasive.
It also has less sodium saccharin which is a sweetener and that explains why it has a stronger menthol-mint flavor. It doesn't taste as sweet!
Who it's best for
The Gentle Whitening toothpaste is best for people with sensitive teeth but want a stronger whitening effect. Essentially if the pronamel toothpastes work in reducing your sensitivity but you wanted more whitening.
This is the most effective whitening toothpaste from Sensodyne Pronamel.
Pronamel Intensive Enamel Repair
The most prominent benefit of the pronamel intensive enamel repair toothpaste is its optimized fluoride formulation. The combination of ingredients help to maximize the strengthening/protective effects of fluoride.
Overview of Intensive Enamel Repair features:
Distinguishing feature - Maximizes fluoride efficacy.
Ingredient differences - Sodium lactate, PVM/MA copolymer.
Advantages - Most optimized for strengthening/protecting enamel.
Disadvantages - Most costly.
Maximized fluoride efficacy
The intensive enamel repair contains sodium lactate and PVM/MA copolymer both which help to increase the efficacy of fluoride.
Sodium lactate. Studies have shown that adding this ingredient resulted in greater enamel acid resistance via increased fluoride uptake.
PVM/MA copolymer. This ingredient is a bioadhesive which helps other toothpaste ingredients stick to the surfaces of teeth. This permits them to exert their topical effects over a longer period of time.
Essentially, both of these two ingredients allow fluoride to work more effectively/efficiently.
Who it's best for
The Intensive Enamel Repair toothpaste is best for people with high cavities risk and weak/thin enamel. The optimized fluoride absorption will assist in strengthening and protecting your dentition.
This is the most protective pronamel toothpaste for cavity prevention.
Putting it all together
I've put together a video summary in case reading isn't your forte.
However, if you prefer charts, here is one for the road.
Attributes | Active Shield | Essential Care | Gentle Whitening | Intensive Enamel Repair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Distinguishing feature | Most foaming | No unique features | Strongest menthol-mint flavor | Fluoride optimized |
Unique ingredients | Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium lactate, PVM/MA copolymer | N/A | Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Saccharin | Sodium lactate, PVM/MA copolymer |
Who it's best for | Prefers foamy toothpaste | General teeth sensitivity | Wants whiter teeth | Cavity prone |
And that is literally everything that you need to know about what makes each pronamel toothpaste different from each other. If our dentists in Long Island City find any additional information, we will update this page. Choosing the right toothpaste is an important part of preventative dentistry.
