The best toothpaste

If your kids would rather do just about anything than brush their teeth, try Hello Oral Care's fruit-flavored toothpaste.

Fighting with little kids about brushing their teeth can be one of those battles you wish you could avoid. Then you remember that you're the parent, so you have to instruct your child in the wisdom of taking care of his or her teeth.

So rather than fighting over brushing time, consider a different type of toothpaste that has flavors kids like better than traditional minty toothpastes. Hello Oral Care's toothpaste comes in plenty of flavors kids like, so they'll be more willing — dare we hope for eager? — to brush their teeth.

Both the fluoride and fluoride-free toothpastes are available in bubble gum, blue raspberry, watermelon, and organic apple flavors. The flavors taste so good that you may even be tempted to borrow your kid's toothpaste. Just make sure your young ones don't swallow the yummy toothpaste or they could end up with a stomach ache.

If you're concerned about giving your children toothpaste with unhealthy ingredients, Hello's toothpastes come standard without dyes or preservatives. Even the toothpaste boxes are eco-friendly, consisting of 100% recycled paperboard with soy ink printing.

Pros: Flavors of toothpaste will appeal to children, kids who like the taste tend to fight less about brushing their teeth, toothpaste is free of dyes and preservatives, offered in both a fluoride and fluoride-free version

Cons: Consistency of this toothpaste can lead to messes in the bathroom, kids may have a stomach ache if they swallow the toothpaste

The Colgate Total Advanced Fresh Toothpaste gives you amazingly fresh breath while cleaning your teeth.

Sure, we all know it's important to brush our teeth to keep them as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Removing plaque and other substances that can damage teeth is important, but we also brush our teeth to freshen our breath. When you want the freshest breath possible after brushing your teeth, Colgate Total Advanced Fresh Toothpaste is the tube you should reach for.

Colgate's toothpaste makes morning breath a distant memory, but it also fights cavities, gingivitis, and other nasty germs that cause bad breath and other complications. The toothpaste is ADA approved, so these claims are actually validated to some extent with scientific testing.

Colgate claims that this toothpaste will keep your breath fresh for 12 hours because it continues to fight the germs that cause bad breath after brushing..

Pros: Gives you fresh breath for a long time during the day, also able to whiten teeth adequately, has all of the ingredients you'd expect to keep your teeth clean while freshening your breath

Cons: Might feel a burning or numbing sensation, and it contains triclosan, which some people dislike

Sensodyne's True White Sensitive Teeth Toothpaste manages to whiten teeth and protect against sensitivity simultaneously.

Whitening toothpaste often has too much of an abrasive texture to work well for those who have sensitive teeth. But instead of just giving up and accepting stained teeth to avoid the pain, you could try the Sensodyne True White Sensitive Teeth Toothpaste.

This toothpaste features a less abrasive texture to whiten sensitive teeth gently without causing pain. Sensodyne's toothpaste maintains your current level of whiteness in your teeth by applying a barrier that prevents new stains from forming as you eat and drink during the day.

It's far less abrasive than other whitening toothpaste, so your tooth enamel will remain strong. Sensodyne uses potassium nitrate to relieve sensitivity and sodium tripolyphosphate to block future stains.

The only downsides are, again, the flavor and the tube's construction.

Pros: Especially good for those who suffer from sensitive tooth pain, delivers a low level of teeth whitening capability, has a desirable texture without any grit, two flavor options will not overwhelm your taste buds

Cons: Doesn't deliver a high level of teeth whitening power, not the best tasting option

If you want an all-natural toothpaste with unique ingredients, Nature's Gate is the one for you.

Have you ever read the ingredient list on a tube of toothpaste? There's active ingredients, inactive ingredients, and who knows what else. If you're like most people, you've never heard of the majority of ingredients inside the tube, let alone understand what they are.

If you want a list of ingredients that you can actually decipher, try the Nature's Gate Natural Toothpaste. You'll recognize most of the ingredients in this toothpaste, including aloe, ginger, cranberry, pomegranate, white tea, and grapeseed. It has no artificial flavors or colors, and it has not been tested on any animals.

We should note that Nature's Gate toothpaste has an ingredient, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (SLS), that produces the satisfying foaming texture people expect with toothpaste. This ingredient is not typically found in all natural toothpaste. Some people will be disappointed to find SLS in a natural toothpaste, but Nature's Gate Toothpaste does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which also causes foaming and is often shortened to SLS.

Transitioning from a name brand, commonly sold toothpaste to a natural toothpaste can be challenging because of the vastly different texture you'll find in a natural toothpaste. However, Nature's Gate Natural Toothpaste does a better job than most natural products in terms of flavor and texture.

Pros: Long list of natural ingredients in the toothpaste, offers a mild and minty flavor that won't overwhelm you, includes an ingredient that causes it to foam up like commercial toothpaste, better consistency than most natural toothpaste

Cons: Firm and chalky texture that some people won't like, won't deliver the same fresh breath feel of commercial toothpaste

If you want to try activated charcoal toothpaste, the Dental Expert Active Whitening Charcoal Toothpaste is an excellent choice.

Editor's Note: The British Dental Journal says there's insufficient scientific evidence to prove the cosmetic and health benefits of activated charcoal toothpaste and powders, and that they may cause decay. You can read more details in this Business Insider article that summarizes the study.

Activated charcoal is in so many products these days because of its cleansing properties. If you want to try an activated charcoal toothpaste, the Dental Expert Active Whitening Charcoal Toothpaste is the best one you can buy.

It doesn't have sulfates, fluoride, synthetic colors, or artificial flavors. The toothpaste uses charcoal powder derived from sustainable bamboo to break up and lift stains, fight off the bacteria that cause bad breath and gum ailments, and remove built-up plaque.

Although many dentists and oral health experts recommend toothpaste with fluoride and hydrogen peroxide for effective whitening, charcoal toothpaste can scrub off stains. It may be too abrasive for sensitive teeth, though, so keep that in mind.

Pros: All-natural formula, effectively fights bad breath, breaks up plaque

Cons: Not as effective as traditional options, may cause gum sensitivity, research shows charcoal toothpaste may cause tooth decay

Colgate's Optic White Platinum Stain-Less White Toothpaste removes stains quickly with hydrogen peroxide and sodium fluoride.

If you have years of stubborn wine and coffee stains on your teeth or you can feel them starting to form, you may want to try Colgate's Optic White Platinum Stain-Less White toothpaste.

This intense formula aims to remove dark stains from coffee, wine, and soda over time with daily use. It contains more hydrogen peroxide than other whitening toothpastes to tackle really stubborn stains that are set on your teeth. The cool mint flavor also freshens breath dramatically, while the fluoride inside protects against cavities.

Because this toothpaste includes about double the whitening agent of other Colgate whitening toothpastes, it may be too strong for some people. If you have sensitive teeth, you may not want to use it daily. However, as a periodic intense whitener, it's effective in removing stains.

Pros: Removes stains fast, minty taste, effective whitening, fluoride to fight cavities

Cons: Might be too harsh for sensitive teeth

The best toothbrushes

There's plenty to be said for the classic manual toothbrush: It can't run out of batteries and it's compact, lightweight, and portable. The Oral-B Pro-Health All-in-One Soft Bristle Toothbrush is our top pick because its myriad bristle types and built-in tongue, cheek, and gum cleaners leave your whole mouth clean and fresh.

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The best electric toothbrushes

If you want clean teeth and healthy gums without breaking your budget, you can't go wrong with the highly effective Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush.

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The best teeth whitening kits

The best teeth whitening kits come with everything you need to whiten your teeth, are easy to use, and do not irritate your gums or teeth. The Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder has all of these features, plus it's affordable, does not use harmful chemicals, and comes in different flavors.

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The best mouthwash

Used in tandem with brushing, flossing, and avoiding saltwater taffy before bed, a good mouthwash can play a pivotal role in your oral health and hygiene regimen. Listerine Cool Mint Antiseptic Mouthwash is our top choice thanks to its ADA-accepted, clinically-proven ability to kill off germs that contribute to plaque buildup, bad breath, and gum disease.

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