There’s no better feeling in the world than having a fresh, clean mouth. If you’re like us, you get an extra boost of confidence when your teeth are sparkling white and your breath is minty fresh. That is why choosing the best toothpaste is so important for not only the health of your teeth, but your confidence as well!
If walking down the toothpaste aisle makes your head spin, you are in the right place. With more options than ever, how do you decide which toothpaste is right for you? To help answer that question, we will take a look at two of the most well-known toothpaste brands, Crest and Colgate, and show you which one we recommend.
Table of Contents
Why Crest and Colgate?
You may wonder why we chose to compare these two brands. What is so special about them? Well, for starters, if you have watched television at all in the last few years (probably more like decade) you would have noticed that Crest and Colgate commercials are dominating your screen. This is due to the fact that Colgate and Crest are produced by two of the top staple giants in the country (Colgate-Palmolive and Proctor & Gamble).
Even without the marketing boosts these brands get from their high-profile production companies, they are both high quality toothpastes. In fact, Colgate and Crest are ranked as America’s top two favorite toothpaste brands. Even Amazon users (a brutally honest group of shoppers) are singing these two brands’ praises. Seventy-nine percent of Amazon users gave Crest toothpastes five stars while seventy-two percent gave Colgate a five star rating. Anyone who has ever tried either of these brands can attest that they deserve all the accolades they receive.
Not only do Crest and Colgate have quality products, but they also work to stay on the cutting edge of their field. For example, Crest Pro-Health has switched to using stannous fluoride instead of sodium fluoride. Studies have shown that stannous fluoride prevents erosion better than sodium fluoride. Staying up to date on the latest innovations is important to these two brands.
They each have a wide range of products including features such as whitening strips, sensitivity toothpastes, and deep cleaning toothpastes. With features and reliability like you get from these two brands, you might expect to pay a higher price. This, however, is not the case. A 3.5 oz tube of Crest 3D White is only $2.88 while a comparable tube of Colgate Optic White is $5.67.
But which toothpaste is right for you?
How We Tested
To help you decide, we put each category of toothpaste through a battery of tests and comparisons. We rated each toothpaste on their taste, how the toothpaste feels in our mouth while brushing, and how our mouth feels after brushing. We also rated the taste of each toothpaste during brushing, as well as the after taste left behind by the toothpaste.
When rating the categories for these toothpastes, we wanted to get the most accurate data possible. We knew that in order to do this we needed to have a fairly large sample size. While stopping random strangers in the Walmart parking lot was an option, we decided to go a safer route, testing with our family and friends. Over the course of 10 days, we surveyed 12 of our closest family members and friends (or just the ones who happened to come over during that time) and their responses were combined with our own to get an overall rating.
The breakdown of the toothpaste ratings is simple. We gave an individual rating to each of the following categories: taste during brushing, taste after brushing, feeling during brushing, feeling after brushing, and overall brushing experience. The ratings ranged from 0-5 (0 being the worst and 5 being the best). Next, we combined the scores for each category to determine an overall rating for each toothpaste.
Best Regular Toothpaste – Crest Cavity Protection vs Colgate Cavity Protection
Crest Cavity Protection
Crest Cavity Protection has a fairly tangy flavor that you would not expect from a toothpaste. It is definitely not the minty fresh taste that you think of when you think of toothpaste. When you begin brushing your teeth with Crest Cavity Protection it doesn’t foam up. Instead, it just feels watery and like it’s sitting on your teeth waiting to be moved around by your toothbrush. Thankfully, the after taste is not very strong but this also leads to your mouth not feeling squeaky clean and fresh like you would hope. The average ratings for this toothpaste are:
Taste During: 2
Taste After: 3
Feeling During: 2.5
Feeling After: 3
Overall Brushing Experience: 3
Overall Rating: 2.7
Colgate Cavity Protection
Colgate Cavity Protection has a much more pleasant, minty flavor that is fairly subtle. It is more foamy than its rival and it covers the whole inside of your mouth. Your teeth and inside of your mouth feel fresh after brushing and the after taste leaves a pleasant taste. The average ratings for this toothpaste are:
Taste During: 3.5
Taste After: 3
Feeling During: 4
Feeling After: 4
Overall Brushing Experience: 3.5
Overall Rating: 3.6
WINNER: Colgate Cavity Protection Toothpaste
- Strengthens teeth with active flouride
- Cleans teeth thoroughly
- Fights cavities
Best Deep Clean Toothpaste – Crest Pro-Health Advanced vs Colgate Total Deep Clean
Crest Pro-Health Advanced
Crest Pro-Health Advanced toothpaste was somewhat of a letdown. We expected an exhilarating and cooling sensation from this brand of toothpaste, but alas, it fell short. The taste was pleasant, but was not lasting as we brushed our teeth. The toothpaste felt watery in our mouth while we were brushing and didn’t seem to cover the inside of our mouths well. It would probably suffice as a regular toothpaste, but it definitely falls shorts as a deep cleaning toothpaste.
Taste During: 2
Taste After: 2
Feeling During: 3
Feeling After: 2.5
Overall Brushing Experience: 3
Overall Rating: 2.5
Colgate Total Deep Clean
Colgate Total Deep Clean was a surprisingly light feeling and refreshing toothpaste. At first taste, it felt rather heavy and thick in our mouth (much like the Colgate Optic White toothpaste). Although it felt thick at first, the longer we brushed the more it foamed and covered every crevice and corner of our mouth. The taste was a strong and invigorating mint flavor that stayed long after we finished brushing.
Taste During: 4
Taste After: 4
Feeling During: 3.7
Feeling After: 4
Overall Brushing Experience: 4
Overall Rating: 3.9
WINNER: Colgate Total Deep Clean Toothpaste
- Deep Cleaning Action for an Extra Clean
- Toothpaste with Hydrated Silica for that Dentist-Clean Feeling
- Fights Germs for 12 Hours for a Healthy Mouth
Best Whitening Toothpaste – Crest 3D White vs Colgate Optic White
Crest 3D White
Crest 3D White Toothpaste is among the most recognizable whitening toothpastes around today. The taste during brushing is the perfect balance of minty freshness and sweetness. It foams in your mouth as you are brushing your teeth and envelopes your entire mouth, reaching between every tooth and around your gums. The crisp, minty aftertaste leaves your entire mouth feeling clean and refreshed. The average ratings for this toothpaste are:
Taste During: 4.5
Taste After: 4
Feeling During: 4
Feeling After: 4
Overall Brushing Experience: 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.2
Colgate Optic White
Colgate Optic White Toothpaste has a heavier, thicker feel in your mouth than Crest 3D White. The taste is a gentle minty flavor with a hint of sweetness. It does not foam nearly as well its Crest rival and the paste felt more abrasive on our teeth.
Taste During: 3.8
Taste After: 4
Feeling During: 3.7
Feeling After: 3.8
Overall Brushing Experience: 3.8
Overall Rating: 3.82
In addition to our standard testing and rating of these whitening toothpastes, we decided to do some additional testing to determine which brand actually whitened the best. After all, if your goal is to whiten your teeth, don’t you want to know if it works?
Our whitening test was simple. We used two hard-boiled eggs and soaked them in a cup of coffee for ten minutes each. Egg shells are a good comparison to use for toothpaste because they are similar in composition to enamel on human teeth (fairly thin with calcium-based components). Because of this, their reaction to toothpaste is very similar to that of human teeth.
Before and After Coffee Stain
Once our coffee-soaked egg shells sat at room temperature for a few hours, it was time to see just which whitening toothpaste works the best. We used a standard toothbrush to brush each egg for the recommended two minutes using circular, side to side, and up and down motions. What we saw during those two minutes was very interesting.
When brushing with the Crest 3D White toothpaste, we could actually see it foaming up as it got wet and as we were brushing it across the egg. It was almost as if we could see it whitening the egg as we brushed. The toothpaste rinsed off the egg with ease after two minutes and left the egg much brighter than when we started.
Crest 3D White (Left) and Colgate Optic White (Right) afterwards
Much like we experienced in our own testing, the Colgate Optic White was much less foamy than the Crest 3D White. It clung to the egg as we brushed and was much more difficult to rinse off. Once we got the toothpaste completely cleaned off of the egg, we could tell there was also a substantial difference in the color of the egg from when we started.
WINNER: Crest 3D White Toothpaste
Best Overall Toothpaste
Overall, Colgate has proven to be the better toothpaste brand. In our deep clean and cavity protection categories, Colgate came out on top above Crest. Colgate’s fresh, enticing flavor as well as its foaming capabilities put it ahead of Crest as the best regular toothpaste category with a rating of 3.6 compared to Crest’s rating of 2.7. An overall rating of 3.9 places Colgate far ahead of Crest in the best deep cleaning toothpaste category.
Crest, however, redeemed itself in the best whitening toothpaste category. Not only did its overall rating of 4.2 place it above the Colgate Optic White toothpaste, but the egg whitening test showed that Crest 3D Whitening toothpaste truly is superior.
So, if you are looking for a whitening toothpaste, look no further than Crest 3D Whitening toothpaste. Otherwise, Colgate bettered Crest in all other toothpaste types.
- Strengthens teeth with active flouride
- Cleans teeth thoroughly
- Fights cavities
- Deep Cleaning Action for an Extra Clean
- Toothpaste with Hydrated Silica for that Dentist-Clean Feeling
- Fights Germs for 12 Hours for a Healthy Mouth
Tips for Brushing and Flossing with Braces
Braces do extraordinary things for people who want a straighter smile. However, those bulky metal brackets and pesky wires can prevent you from thoroughly cleaning your teeth. Since brushing alone cannot reach every part of your teeth, flossing is vital to maintaining a healthy mouth while in braces.
The type of floss used with braces matters a great deal. Using waxed floss is important so that it can navigate around all of the wires and metal brackets without breaking or becoming damaged. Once you have selected the correct floss, you must begin the arduous task of threading the floss between each and every bracket of your braces. This can be quite tedious and time consuming, but ultimately very beneficial for you and your teeth.
If threading your floss by hand becomes too troublesome, there are other options. Use a floss threader to make threading between your braces a breeze. If you decide traditional floss just isn’t for you, a water flosser might be the answer you’re looking for. Water flossers shoot a stream of water to clean the food and debris from between your teeth and braces. This method is much less time consuming and easier on you.
Whatever method you choose, consistency is key to a healthy mouth with braces. You would hate to spend all that time and money for straight teeth and not take care of them.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right toothpaste is an important decision, but it should not cause you anxiety. Instead of seeing the never ending aisle of toothpaste as a burden, choose to view it as a blessing! You have the ability to choose the toothpaste that will fit your exact wants and needs.
In order to choose the best toothpaste for your needs, pinpointing your needs is the most important. Once you know what you need to focus on, you can narrow down your choices.
- Deep Cleaning Action for an Extra Clean
- Toothpaste with Hydrated Silica for that Dentist-Clean Feeling
- Fights Germs for 12 Hours for a Healthy Mouth