eli5 why does putting toothpaste on scratched disks fix them?

Question

As the title says why does toothpaste fix disks

In: 2049

Answer 1

Toothpaste is just slightly rough in texture, which means when you rub it on a disk, it smoothes out any light scratches. Once the scratches are buffed out, the disk should in theory be playable again as it is now a smooth surface again.