Anyone who has drank cold water, eaten ice cream or chomped down on frozen desserts knows fully well what ngilo feels like. A sharp pain hits you as the nerves around your teeth react to the cold. I used to be one of those poor souls. And for someone who loves ice cream, this was just awful. Often, I’d wait for the ice cream to melt a bit so that I could spoon the liquid into my mouth with less chances of ngilo. And did you know that 9 out of 10 Filipinos (that’s a whopping 88M Pinoys) suffer to some degree from tooth sensitivity? That’s the majority of the populace!
Luis Manzano, Sensodyne‘s brand ambassador, shares my horrible experience because he, too suffers from tooth sensitivity. According to him, times like meetings and enjoyable social events are cut short because of pangingilo. “I just endure the pain so it doesn’t ruin my day or my night out”, he said during the event.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has had Sensodyne for a long time now and it has grown to be the No. 1 sensitivity brand in the market recommended by dentists against pangingilo. But it was always viewed as a higher-end toothpaste brand that not many can afford on a regular basis but only upon dental prescription. GSK is now committed to stop the suffering of Filipinos by making Sensodyne affordable. Their message? “Say No to Ngilo!“
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| The GSK Sensodyne team with Luis Manzano and Angel Jacob |
So how does a top-rated brand like Sensodyne become available to the Filipino public without breaking their budget? Think sari-sari store concept. Yes, the Philippines is the first country in the world where Sensodyne is being introduced in sachet format. And each sachet only costs PhP 10. Everyone can now afford Sensodyne because it is now available in tingi-tingi (Filipino slang for sachet) form.
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| The sari-sari store concept was what inspired Sensodyne’s sachet format |
There are several variants of Sensodyne now aside from its flagship variant.
The original Sensodyne contains potassium nitrate to depolarize the nerve and protect it from firing. Using it twice a day in brushing ensures the nerve response will be gradually blocked and pain is relieved.
The Sensodyne Rapid Relief variant contains strontium acetate, an element similar to calcium. It replaces some of the calcium lost from dentine and blocks the exposed tubules within dentinal tissue. This in turn prevents the flow of the fluid within the tubules that otherwise cause tooth pain.
The Sensodyne Repair & Protect contains advanced NovaMin technology, scientifically proven to help repair sensitive teeth by forming a tooth-like layer over exposed dentine to help continually repair and protect sensitive areas.
A Few More FAQs on Sensodyne
* Sensodyne is recommended for kids aged 12 and above. Younger kids do not really suffer from tooth sensitivity because it hits older kids and adults.
* Brushing with Sensodyne is recommended twice a day to ensure the anti-ngilo ingredients work best
Most Filipinos now have a chance to get rid of their pangingilo woes once and for all with the affordable sachet format. Ngilo will now be a thing of the past for Pinoys.