Best Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth

What ingredient in toothpaste helps sensitive teeth?

The three pages here name two, and they work by different routes according to the brands that sell them. Arm & Hammer’s paste uses potassium nitrate. The brand’s page says only that it is “a sensitive way to care for sensitive teeth,” and the parent company’s ingredient disclosure form is where the ingredient is named and labeled “active - antihypersensitivity.” Tom’s of Maine’s two sensitive pastes use arginine bicarbonate with calcium carbonate. Tom’s lists arginine first in both ingredient tables with the purpose “sensitivity relief (occlusive agent),” and its Rapid Relief page says the pair “helps block sensitivity pain by forming a calcium-rich layer that seals open nerve channels on sensitive teeth.”

Those are the manufacturers’ descriptions of their own ingredients. Neither brand publishes the data behind the claim on its page. Both Tom’s pages say “clinically proven” of their sensitivity relief, with a footnote that the rapid relief claim depends on rubbing the paste directly onto the tooth for a minute, and that claim stays the brand’s. Arm & Hammer’s page uses the phrase for whitening, not sensitivity.

Does sensitive toothpaste need fluoride?

One of the three has it. Arm & Hammer’s disclosure form lists sodium fluoride as the anticavity active, and the page sells the paste as a “fluoride toothpaste that helps protect against cavities and control tartar.” Both Tom’s of Maine pastes carry “Fluoride-Free” in their names and list no fluoride compound. A fluoride-free paste makes no cavity claim, and neither Tom’s page makes one. So the choice between the three starts with that question: one tube for sensitivity and cavities, or a fluoride-free tube for sensitivity alone. What the ADA Seal on Toothpaste Actually Means covers how the ADA ties its seal to a named claim, and the ADA’s 2025 reference guide, linked from that post, lists no product from these three in its sensitivity control groups.

Our pick: Arm & Hammer Sensitive Teeth and Gums Toothpaste

This is the one paste of the three that does both jobs on its own label. Potassium nitrate is the sensitivity active and sodium fluoride the anticavity active, per the parent company’s disclosure form, which also gives every other ingredient a function: two surfactants, a thickener, a humectant, baking soda as the abrasive, a sweetener and a colorant. The product page adds a whitening claim, “clinically proven to whiten teeth in just 5 days,” and a tartar control claim, neither with a published test behind it.

Two things to know before you buy. The brand’s own page says almost nothing about sensitivity beyond the name; the active ingredient and its function come from the disclosure form, which the page links. And the formula lists sodium lauryl sulfate among its surfactants, which both Tom’s pastes leave out. The page gives no guidance on who the paste is for beyond its name.

Runner-up: Tom’s of Maine Fluoride-Free Rapid Relief Sensitive

This is the pick if you want a sensitive paste without fluoride. It is also the best-disclosed of the three. Tom’s publishes an ingredient table that gives each of its eleven ingredients a purpose and a source, from arginine bicarbonate “derived from sugar cane” to xylitol “derived from birch trees or corn.” The page says the paste is free of sodium lauryl sulfate, artificial flavors, sweeteners, dyes and gluten, and that it “has not been tested on animals.” The brand claims B Corp certification on the page.

The sensitivity claim is the strongest worded of the three, “clinically proven rapid sensitivity relief in 1 minute,” and its footnote matters: “for rapid relief, apply the product directly to the sensitive tooth with a fingertip and gently massage for 1 minute.” The page describes the mechanism as a “calcium-rich layer that seals open nerve channels,” in the brand’s words. No test is published, and the paste makes no cavity claim.

Also consider: Tom’s of Maine Sensitive + Whitening Fluoride-Free

The same sensitivity ingredients as the runner-up, arginine bicarbonate and calcium carbonate, with a whitening claim added. The page footnotes that claim “by removing surface stains,” the same mechanism Tom’s states for its other whitening pastes, and calls the paste “enamel safe.” Its ingredient table runs to thirteen entries with the same purpose-and-source format, adds peppermint oil and a stevia sweetener, and lists no sodium lauryl sulfate. The sensitivity claim is “clinically proven sensitivity relief in 60 seconds,” with the same fingertip footnote as the runner-up. Choose it over the runner-up only if the whitening claim is what you want; on sensitivity, the two pages describe the same thing.

What the pages leave out

None of the three pages publishes the clinical data it refers to, so “clinically proven” stays a claim on all three. None of the three appears in the ADA’s 2025 reference guide under sensitivity control, where the ADA lists the pastes whose sensitivity claim it has reviewed; a paste without the seal has not applied, which is a different thing from having been refused. Arm & Hammer’s own page is thin on the sensitivity ingredient, and the two Tom’s pages make no cavity claim at all. No page here says who should or should not use the paste, and this guide adds no such verdict on anyone’s teeth.

How we researched this

Every product fact in this guide comes from each brand’s own website, and for Arm & Hammer the parent company’s ingredient disclosure form the product page links, read on the date each record shows. Nothing was retrieved from a retailer listing or a review. Ingredient functions are quoted from the brand’s own tables and forms. Each certification is recorded as a manufacturer claim, since the issuer’s directory could not be queried by exact product with the tools available. The ADA statement comes from the ADA’s 2025 reference guide. Runlow has not tested any of these toothpastes and makes no claim about any of them beyond what the pages state. No prices are shown.