ABSTRACT
In this project, I studied the ingredients found in whitening toothpaste. The purpose of this experiment is to show exactly how much a certain toothpaste is whitening your teeth. I stained 5 ceramic tiles with coffee. Following, I labeled 4 tiles with different brands of whitening toothpaste. I brushed the tiles accordingly for 2 minutes 14 times. I noticed that the Arm & Hammer and Colgate toothpaste worked the best and Crest and Aquafresh didn't lighten that well. Even though Colgate worked well, Arm & Hammer cleaned better. Another observation that I made was that Crest and Aquafresh did not whiten the tiles very much. In conclusion, Arm & Hammer left the tiles the whitest while Crest left them he darkest.
VARIABLES
Independent Variable- Brand of whitening toothpaste
Dependent Variable- Whiteness of tiles
Controlled Variable-Brushing time, toothbrushes, amount of toothpaste,stains on the tiles
PROBLEM
What is the effect of different brands of whitening toothpaste on tiles?
HYPOTHESIS
If different brands of whitening toothpaste are used to clean coffee stained tiles, then Colgate Optic White will whiten its tile the best.
MATERIALS
1 large bowl
25 white 4x4 tiles
30 cups of coffee
1 roll of masking tape
1 permanent marker
20 identical toothbrushes
5 cups of water
5 tubes of Aquafresh Extreme Clean
5 tubes of Arm & Hammer Extreme Whitening Baking soda & Peroxide
5 tubes of Colgate Optic White
5 tubes of Crest Baking Soda Whitening
PROCEDURE
Fill the large bowl with 6 cups of coffee
Place the 5 tiles into the bowl
Leave the tiles in the coffee for 24 hours in order to stain the tiles
Remove the tiles from the bowl and let them dry for another 24 hours
Use masking tape and a permanent marker to label the 4 toothbrushes and 4 tiles with the name of the brand of toothpaste
Dip the toothbrush in the cup of water
Brush 4 tiles for 2 minutes with a different toothpaste
Leave 1 tile un-brushed.
Rinse the 4 tiles that were washed
Repeat steps 6-8 8 times (so it's like brushing twice a day for 4 days)
Line up the tiles from darkest to lightest
Place the un-brushed at the end of the darkest end
Rate your tiles on whitest to darkest using numbers (1 being the whitest 4 being the darkest)
Repeat steps 1-13 5 times
PURPOSE
Different toothpaste brands often claim they're the best, but is this true? The purpose of this project is to find the best whitening toothpaste. It is too time and money consuming for people to personally test out each whitening toothpaste. This project will test out 4 brands at once in a shorter amount of time. Testing out 4 brands of whitening toothpaste will help people get an idea of what works an what doesn't. Having this knowledge will also help people get the most out of their money.
HISTORY
Different methods of teeth cleaning occurred throughout history. For instance, lime chloride, frayed twigs, and even urine was used to try to achieve a white smile.Some people would even be so desperate for white teeth, they would have their teeth filed down to apply nitric acid on top (Kolpakov,2012). This would give them whiter teeth but it destroyed the enamel which led to decay and loss of teeth.The earliest known record of toothpaste can be dated back as far as 2,000 B.C. Egyptians might have been the first people to create toothpaste (Chemistry in a Tube of Toothpaste, 2013). They mixed powdered pumice, a rock created in volcanic eruptions,with vinegar to clean and whiten their teeth.
Early methods of whitening toothpaste are not used anymore. You would never even think about using urine to whiten your teeth nowadays. And why is that, it wasn't unusual back in the days. We can thank scientist for developing more safe and effective ways to get whiter teeth. Teeth whitening has gradually advanced over time and became a common household object. Now we have solutions with baking soda, silica, and hydrogen peroxide (Miller, 2010).
PROCESS
Every one of your teeth have an inner dentin layer and a hard outer enamel layer. Another layer gradually forms on top of the enamel layer when you put food in your mouth. Food accumulates to creates pellicle film over the enamel layer (How Tooth Whitening Works, 2013). Dentists' can remove this layer by scrapping and using chemical treatments. Brushing your teeth with an abrasive toothpaste can even clean this layer a bit. This cleans the same way that scrubbing with abrasive pads cleans dishes. However, whitening toothpaste are made to work harder on this layer.
Whitening toothpaste reduce these stains by using special polishing abrasives like silica or calcium carbonate(Carr, 2013). Whitening toothpaste often contain chemicals such as sodium triphosphate, which help in dissolving surface stains.The most commonly found bleaching agent in toothpaste is a compound called carbamide peroxide. When you brush your teeth with this, it forms into hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide then breaks down into water and oxygen (Gordan, 2010). The oxygen is a strong bleaching agent since it mixes with the materials in the stains and lightens them.
Arm & Hammer is a popular baking soda brand but what is baking soda used for? Baking soda is commonly used in everyday life due to its wide range of uses. We use baking soda in multiple recipes for: baking, cleaning, and hygienic needs. Baking soda is often used in toothpaste since it is a naturally strong bleaching agent. Another ingredient similar to baking sodas is hydrogen peroxide.Like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide has various uses. Besides being a bleaching agent , it is also for sanitizing.
(Add another paragraph: Study how the ingredients in the four different brands of toothpaste differ. What ingredient made a toothpaste work better than the other? What is baking soda or peroxide used for?)
APPLICATION
Toothpaste has advanced since its beginning. Hopefully in the future, scientist will develop an even more beneficial whitening toothpaste. Perhaps they may even find a way to preserve the natural whiteness in teeth before they darken. I'm sure the Egyptians would have never thought their toothpaste would develop this much.There is so many options for the future of teeth whitening. We currently have superior ingredients such as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
REFLECTION
many uses in cleaning and removing unwanted stains. However, An observation that I made was that the best toothpaste (Arm & Hammer) and the worst toothpaste (Crest) both had baking soda and peroxide as an active ingredient. I had expected them to be in the same range due to their ingredients. It took me by surprise when in only two minutes; Arm & Hammers tile was lighter than Crest final tile. I believe this happened due to Arm & Hammers experience. Arm & Hammer is a popular cleaning brand; Due to their popularity in this area, it’s no surprise that their toothpaste beat the other brands.
If I were to redo this project I would find the average price range for each brand. I realized that the brands had different price ranges, thus being the more expensive ones probably were designed to work better. If I were to have found the average price range, the experiment would have been fairer. For instance, I should have bought Arm & Hammer and Crest toothpaste that were approximately four dollars. I would also recommend being careful with items near you. For example, as I brushed the tiles, toothpaste splattered all over the place. It would be ideal to be in an open environment to prevent splatters on furniture.
ANALYSIS
While conducting this project the results for Arm & Hammer were consistently high. Colgate ranked with a 3 for most of the trials. This data shows that even though Colgate didn't whiten as much as Arm & Hammer, it still whitened quite well. The results for Crest were not consistent for 2 trials, however the remaining trials show that Crest hardly whitened. In all five trials, Aquafresh was ranked with a 2. This indicates Aquafresh did whiten the tiles but not very well.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Arm & Hammer worked extremely well. On the other hand Crests whitening skills were barely noticeable. My hypothesis was proven wrong,however Colgate did have a good whitening effect on the tiles. Aquafresh somewhat whitened the tiles. One thing I wish I would have done was find an average price for the brands toothpaste. This would have been fair for the toothpaste I bought that were not as expensive as others.For further experiments,another suggestion I would make is to not brush the tiles close to each other. When I did the first trial , I had the tiles close to the one I was brushing. The toothpaste splattered on the other brands tiles. Another thing I would recommend is using smaller tiles. I believe the tiles would have been as white as can be if they were smaller.
GLOSSARY
1.abrasives- A substance that is used for cleaning a hard surface
2.bleaching- Whitening by sun exposure or chemical process
3.calcium carbonate- A white crystalline compound;CaCO3
4.carbamide peroxide- A compound made up of urea and hydrogen peroxide
5.dentin- A tissue that is calcified and has tiny tubes. It is also the second layer of the tooth
6.enamel layer- The hard outer layer of the tooth
7.hydrogen peroxide- An oxidizing liquid;H2O2
8.oxygen- A colorless,odorless reactive gas
9.pellicle film- A protein film that forms on the enamel
10.silica- A hard,odorless, and unreactive compound;SiO2
11.sodium triphosphate- An inorganic compound;Na5O10P3,
WORKS CITED (add space after end marks; cite author, not title - for example (Gordan, 2013) not (How Tooth Whitening Words, 2013))
Rubric for 2f- deadline extended to 4/30 You will get Tuesday class time (4/30) to make any additional revisions. Must use 3rd person AND in-text citations for Purpose, History, Process, & Applications paragraphs.
Pts. Earned
Pts. Possible
Abstract (Q1-2)
3.5
5
Purpose
5
5
History
4
5
Process
4
5
Applications (Formerly Future)
4.5
5
Reflection (about research AND lab)
4
5
Glossary
4.5
5
Works Cited
4
5
Total
33.5
40
Rubric for 5-6ab- deadline 5/3 You will get class time (4/30 & 5/2) to make additional revisions to your wikispace page.
In this project, I studied the ingredients found in whitening toothpaste. The purpose of this experiment is to show exactly how much a certain toothpaste is whitening your teeth. I stained 5 ceramic tiles with coffee. Following, I labeled 4 tiles with different brands of whitening toothpaste. I brushed the tiles accordingly for 2 minutes 14 times. I noticed that the Arm & Hammer and Colgate toothpaste worked the best and Crest and Aquafresh didn't lighten that well. Even though Colgate worked well, Arm & Hammer cleaned better. Another observation that I made was that Crest and Aquafresh did not whiten the tiles very much. In conclusion, Arm & Hammer left the tiles the whitest while Crest left them he darkest.
VARIABLES
Independent Variable- Brand of whitening toothpaste
Dependent Variable- Whiteness of tiles
Controlled Variable-Brushing time, toothbrushes, amount of toothpaste,stains on the tiles
PROBLEM
What is the effect of different brands of whitening toothpaste on tiles?
HYPOTHESIS
If different brands of whitening toothpaste are used to clean coffee stained tiles, then Colgate Optic White will whiten its tile the best.
MATERIALS
PROCEDURE
PURPOSE
Different toothpaste brands often claim they're the best, but is this true? The purpose of this project is to find the best whitening toothpaste. It is too time and money consuming for people to personally test out each whitening toothpaste. This project will test out 4 brands at once in a shorter amount of time. Testing out 4 brands of whitening toothpaste will help people get an idea of what works an what doesn't. Having this knowledge will also help people get the most out of their money.
HISTORY
Different methods of teeth cleaning occurred throughout history. For instance, lime chloride, frayed twigs, and even urine was used to try to achieve a white smile.Some people would even be so desperate for white teeth, they would have their teeth filed down to apply nitric acid on top (Kolpakov,2012). This would give them whiter teeth but it destroyed the enamel which led to decay and loss of teeth.The earliest known record of toothpaste can be dated back as far as 2,000 B.C. Egyptians might have been the first people to create toothpaste (Chemistry in a Tube of Toothpaste, 2013). They mixed powdered pumice, a rock created in volcanic eruptions,with vinegar to clean and whiten their teeth.
Early methods of whitening toothpaste are not used anymore. You would never even think about using urine to whiten your teeth nowadays. And why is that, it wasn't unusual back in the days. We can thank scientist for developing more safe and effective ways to get whiter teeth. Teeth whitening has gradually advanced over time and became a common household object. Now we have solutions with baking soda, silica, and hydrogen peroxide (Miller, 2010).
PROCESS
Every one of your teeth have an inner dentin layer and a hard outer enamel layer. Another layer gradually forms on top of the enamel layer when you put food in your mouth. Food accumulates to creates pellicle film over the enamel layer (How Tooth Whitening Works, 2013). Dentists' can remove this layer by scrapping and using chemical treatments. Brushing your teeth with an abrasive toothpaste can even clean this layer a bit. This cleans the same way that scrubbing with abrasive pads cleans dishes. However, whitening toothpaste are made to work harder on this layer.
Whitening toothpaste reduce these stains by using special polishing abrasives like silica or calcium carbonate(Carr, 2013). Whitening toothpaste often contain chemicals such as sodium triphosphate, which help in dissolving surface stains.The most commonly found bleaching agent in toothpaste is a compound called carbamide peroxide. When you brush your teeth with this, it forms into hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide then breaks down into water and oxygen (Gordan, 2010). The oxygen is a strong bleaching agent since it mixes with the materials in the stains and lightens them.
Arm & Hammer is a popular baking soda brand but what is baking soda used for? Baking soda is commonly used in everyday life due to its wide range of uses. We use baking soda in multiple recipes for: baking, cleaning, and hygienic needs. Baking soda is often used in toothpaste since it is a naturally strong bleaching agent. Another ingredient similar to baking sodas is hydrogen peroxide.Like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide has various uses. Besides being a bleaching agent , it is also for sanitizing.
(Add another paragraph: Study how the ingredients in the four different brands of toothpaste differ. What ingredient made a toothpaste work better than the other? What is baking soda or peroxide used for?)
APPLICATION
Toothpaste has advanced since its beginning. Hopefully in the future, scientist will develop an even more beneficial whitening toothpaste. Perhaps they may even find a way to preserve the natural whiteness in teeth before they darken. I'm sure the Egyptians would have never thought their toothpaste would develop this much.There is so many options for the future of teeth whitening. We currently have superior ingredients such as baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
REFLECTION
many uses in cleaning and removing unwanted stains. However, An observation that I made was that the best toothpaste (Arm & Hammer) and the worst toothpaste (Crest) both had baking soda and peroxide as an active ingredient. I had expected them to be in the same range due to their ingredients. It took me by surprise when in only two minutes; Arm & Hammers tile was lighter than Crest final tile. I believe this happened due to Arm & Hammers experience. Arm & Hammer is a popular cleaning brand; Due to their popularity in this area, it’s no surprise that their toothpaste beat the other brands.
If I were to redo this project I would find the average price range for each brand. I realized that the brands had different price ranges, thus being the more expensive ones probably were designed to work better. If I were to have found the average price range, the experiment would have been fairer. For instance, I should have bought Arm & Hammer and Crest toothpaste that were approximately four dollars. I would also recommend being careful with items near you. For example, as I brushed the tiles, toothpaste splattered all over the place. It would be ideal to be in an open environment to prevent splatters on furniture.
ANALYSIS
While conducting this project the results for Arm & Hammer were consistently high. Colgate ranked with a 3 for most of the trials. This data shows that even though Colgate didn't whiten as much as Arm & Hammer, it still whitened quite well. The results for Crest were not consistent for 2 trials, however the remaining trials show that Crest hardly whitened. In all five trials, Aquafresh was ranked with a 2. This indicates Aquafresh did whiten the tiles but not very well.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Arm & Hammer worked extremely well. On the other hand Crests whitening skills were barely noticeable. My hypothesis was proven wrong,however Colgate did have a good whitening effect on the tiles. Aquafresh somewhat whitened the tiles. One thing I wish I would have done was find an average price for the brands toothpaste. This would have been fair for the toothpaste I bought that were not as expensive as others.For further experiments,another suggestion I would make is to not brush the tiles close to each other. When I did the first trial , I had the tiles close to the one I was brushing. The toothpaste splattered on the other brands tiles. Another thing I would recommend is using smaller tiles. I believe the tiles would have been as white as can be if they were smaller.
GLOSSARY
1.abrasives- A substance that is used for cleaning a hard surface
2.bleaching- Whitening by sun exposure or chemical process
3.calcium carbonate- A white crystalline compound;CaCO3
4.carbamide peroxide- A compound made up of urea and hydrogen peroxide
5.dentin- A tissue that is calcified and has tiny tubes. It is also the second layer of the tooth
6.enamel layer- The hard outer layer of the tooth
7.hydrogen peroxide- An oxidizing liquid;H2O2
8.oxygen- A colorless,odorless reactive gas
9.pellicle film- A protein film that forms on the enamel
10.silica- A hard,odorless, and unreactive compound;SiO2
11.sodium triphosphate- An inorganic compound;Na5O10P3,
WORKS CITED (add space after end marks; cite author, not title - for example (Gordan, 2013) not (How Tooth Whitening Words, 2013))
Carr,A. "Does Whitening Toothpaste Actually Whiten Teeth?" 2013. Mayo Foundation. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whiteningtoothpaste/an01818
Gordan,J. "How Tooth Whitening Works." 2013. How Stuff Works, Inc. http://www.howstuffworks.com/nnovation/everday-innovations/toothwhitening.htm.
Kolpakov, V. "HIstory of Toothpaste." 2012. Toothpaste World, Inc. http://www.toothpasteworld.com/history.php
Miller, C. "How do Whitening Toothpaste Work?" 2010. Live Strong Foundation. http://www.livestrong.com/article/123324-whiteningtoothpaste-work/.
No Author. "Chemistry in a Tube of Toothpaste." 2012. How Stuff Works, Inc. http://science.howstuffworks.com/chemistry-in-a-tube-of-toothpasteinfor3.htm.
Rubric for 2e.
You will get Tuesday class time (4/30) to make any additional revisions.
Must use 3rd person AND in-text citations for Purpose, History, Process, & Applications paragraphs.
Rubric for 5-6ab- deadline 5/3
You will get class time (4/30 & 5/2) to make additional revisions to your wikispace page.