eli5 why does putting toothpaste on scratched disks fix them?

Question

As the title says why does toothpaste fix disks

In: 2049

Answer 1

Tooth paste is basically just sandpaper goo with chemicals for your teeth.

The disk itself is a film sealed inside a plastic coat

You’re sanding that coat down a bit to make it smooth, since scratches make it hard to read beneath the plastic