Quick Answer
No, there are no calories in Crest toothpaste. Toothpaste is not intended to be swallowed or consumed, so it does not contain any nutrients like calories, fat, protein, etc. The ingredients in toothpaste serve a cleaning and cosmetic purpose, not a nutritional one. Swallowing toothpaste intentionally or accidentally will not provide any calories or other nutrients to your diet.
Calories and Nutrition Facts of Toothpaste
Toothpaste is formulated to clean and polish teeth, freshen breath, and provide cosmetic benefits like whitening. It contains ingredients like abrasives, fluoride, detergents, binders, humectants, flavors, colors, and sweeteners. None of the ingredients in toothpaste provide any significant caloric value or nutrition.
Here are some reasons why toothpaste does not contain calories:
– Toothpaste is not intended to be swallowed. Any calories or nutrients would be meaningless since we spit out toothpaste after brushing.
– The FDA regulates toothpaste as a cosmetic product, not a food or nutritional supplement. Toothpaste goes through a different approval process with different labeling requirements compared to foods.
– Toothpaste flavors and sweeteners are intended to improve the brushing experience, not provide nutrition. The amount used each time is very small and gets spit out.
– Ingredients like detergents, abrasives, and fluoride can be harmful if swallowed purposely in large amounts. So toothpaste is formulated to be safe for brief oral contact only.
– People get their nutrition from foods and beverages, not from toothpaste. Adding calories or other nutrients to toothpaste would serve no purpose.
So when you look at the ingredient label on a toothpaste tube, you will not see any mention of calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, or minerals. Toothpaste is not classified as a food product and does not provide any significant nutrition.
Typical Ingredients in Crest Toothpaste
Crest manufactures many different types of toothpaste with varying ingredients for different needs. Here are some of the major ingredients found in Crest’s product lines:
– Abrasives: silica, calcium carbonate – clean teeth by removing plaque and surface stains
– Fluoride: sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride – strengthen enamel and prevent cavities
– Detergents: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate – create foaming and cleaning action
– Binders: cellulose gum, carrageenan – provide texture and bind ingredients
– Humectants: glycerin, sorbitol – keep paste moist and prevent hardening
– Flavors: peppermint oil, artificial flavors – provide taste and freshen breath
– Sweeteners: xylitol, sodium saccharin – improve taste
– Colors: dye pigments – enhance appearance
– Tartar control agents: tetrasodium pyrophosphate, zinc citrate – prevent calcium buildup
– Antibacterial agents: triclosan, essential oils – reduce bacteria and plaque
– Whitening agents: hydrogen peroxide, baking soda – remove stains and brighten teeth
As you can see, the ingredients are focused on dental hygiene and cosmetic benefits, not providing calories or nutrition. Swallowing toothpaste should always be avoided, but it will not contribute any calories to your diet.
Calorie and Nutrition Labels on Food vs. Toothpaste
Food products are required to carry a Nutrition Facts label listing the calories, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals contained in a serving. This allows consumers to make informed choices about the foods they eat.
In contrast, toothpaste and other personal care products do not require nutrition labeling. Since toothpaste is not classified as a food or ingestible product, it would make no sense to list calories or other nutrition information.
Here is a side-by-side look at the difference between food labels and toothpaste labels:
| Food Label (yogurt) | Toothpaste Label |
|---|---|
|
|
As you can see, the yogurt provides full nutrition facts and percentage daily values, while the toothpaste lacks any calorie or nutrient information. This highlights the different purposes and regulations around foods versus personal care items.
Do Accidentally Swallowed Toothpaste Calories Count?
While toothpaste is not meant to be swallowed, small amounts may inadvertently be ingested during brushing. Since toothpaste contains no calories or significant nutrition, any negligible amount that is accidentally swallowed can be disregarded from a calorie-counting standpoint.
The American Dental Association estimates that a typical person may inadvertently swallow between 0.2-0.5 grams of toothpaste per brushing session. Considering that 1 gram of toothpaste contains absolutely no calories, this trace amount of swallowed toothpaste has no caloric impact.
Even for the rare individual who intentionally swallows a whole mouthful of toothpaste, the dose is small enough that any calories or nutrients can be considered negligible. There have been no studies looking at calories from toothpaste ingestion simply because the numbers are meaningless.
The bottom line is that inadvertent or intentional ingestion of toothpaste should be avoided due to risks from fluoride and detergents, but it does not need to be tracked for calorie counting purposes. The calories in toothpaste can be considered zero for all practical purposes.
Harmful Effects of Swallowing Toothpaste
While toothpaste contains no beneficial calories or nutrition, swallowing more than a pea-sized amount can be harmful:
– Fluoride toxicity: Fluoride is added to toothpaste to prevent cavities by strengthening enamel. But too much fluoride can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and fluorosis (discoloration of teeth).
– GI irritation: Detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate can cause mouth and throat irritation if repeatedly swallowed in large amounts.
– Choking hazard: Toothpaste has a thick, gloopy consistency that could potentially obstruct breathing passages if swallowed in large quantities, especially by small children.
For these reasons, toothpaste tubes clearly state “Do not swallow” and children’s toothpaste is formulated to be safe if swallowed in typical use amounts. Any intentional or unintentional swallowing of toothpaste should be minimized as much as possible.
But when it comes to calories, toothpaste can be considered non-caloric and inconsequential even if small accidental ingestion occurs. Monitoring calories from toothpaste is unnecessary.
Weight Loss and Toothpaste Calories
When trying to lose weight by cutting calories, some people may wonder whether they need to count calories from toothpaste. But since toothpaste contains no significant calories, it can be excluded from calorie counting for weight loss.
Even in a day where you are carefully limiting calories to create a deficit, any negligible calories ingested through toothpaste can be disregarded. There are no studies showing toothpaste ingestion as a confounding variable in weight loss trials.
Here are some points for those trying to lose weight by cutting calories:
– Do not intentionally swallow toothpaste; seek nutrition from food/drinks only.
– If you accidentally swallow a small amount of toothpaste, don’t worry about it or try to track it.
– Focus your efforts on controlling calories from identified food sources and beverages, not toothpaste.
– Read nutrition labels closely and track the calories you consume from foods and drinks using a food journal.
– Brush your teeth as normal with toothpaste and simply spit it out without trying to minimize swallowing. The calories are insignificant.
– Consult your dentist if you have concerns about fluoride intake or toxicity from toothpaste.
In summary, there is no need to track calories from toothpaste when aiming for a calorie deficit to lose weight. Toothpaste can be considered a non-caloric product.
Conclusion
Toothpaste such as Crest is formulated for oral hygiene purposes and does not contain any calories, fat, protein, carbs or other nutritional components. The ingredients in toothpaste provide no meaningful caloric value even if small amounts are accidentally swallowed.
Since toothpaste is not classified as a food or ingestible product, it does not require nutritional labeling indicating calories and nutrients. Any negligible calories from toothpaste ingestion can be disregarded from a weight loss or dietary standpoint.
While swallowing more than a pea-sized amount of toothpaste may cause toxicity or irritation, these risks are not related to calories. Overall, people do not need to count or track any calories from toothpaste when monitoring their diet or calorie balance.
