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Today I took my dad (78) to the dentist. He recommended that my dad use a "sensitive" toothpaste. There were tubes of the toothpaste on the shelf next to me so I read the ingredients, one of which was potassium nitrate. I pointed out to the dentist that my dad was suffering from kidney failure and had been told to have as little potassium in his diet as possible, and I asked if potassium nitrate fell into the same category. He didn't know so he prescribed another toothpaste that did the same job but didn't contain that ingredient. I was rather horrified at how easy it is for a professional to make a potentially fatal mistake just because they don't know. I know it's not his fault that he doesn't have all my dads medical facts, but it scary that he didn't know the answer to my question, especially when my dads condition is no where near unique. So does anyone know the answer? Is potassium nitrate similar to potassium? Does the body break it down to form something similar? What effect could it have?

I don't think it would have been a big problem, Milims. Apart from the tiny amount of toothpaste you use to clean your teeth, you don't swallow it. He'd get more potassium eating an orange or banana.

But it's a good idea to check - I don't fancy the idea of nitrates much either

Yep. its a potassium salt. used in most preserved/cured meats and gunpowder.

That's just reminded me, how's YOUR toothache?!!! Did you go to the dentist in the end?

GA - he's banned from bananas! That's one of the reasons that I was asking - it worries me that it is one of those things that is added to so much that if we add up each small dose it could add up to quite a lot
MMM - my tooth ache is much better - the anti bots seem to have worked pretty well, but I have an appointment to have it yanked - that only takes 1/2 hour where are root canal is 2hrs - no thanks!

I've had a couple of root canals done and one was 3 sessions and one was 2 sessions and it wasn't pleasant. The last time I had toothache was after session 1 of the last root canal (more than 20 years ago!) and I suffered for 3 days cos the dentist was away and I wasn't bright enough to realise I could have gone to any dentist as an emergency - well I was curled up in bed in agony and was flatsharing and no-one with a car to take me anywhere anyway! Hope it goes OK for you.

Thanks MMM. Trouble is I'm frightened of the dentist - ever since one yelled at me in the middle of a treatment! I'm going to insist DOH comes with me to hold my hand!

You do that!

I take my OH into the treatment room with me too. He can chat to the dentist and fill in those long quiet pauses as well as pull funny faces at me during treatment!