Activated Charcoal Or Toothpaste: Which One Gives You Whiter Teeth?

Do you brush and floss your teeth on a daily basis? Have you tried various toothpastes and whitening strips to see which one gives your teeth the best shine? Well, it may be time to start looking at other options if you feel that you are not getting results no matter what toothpaste or whitening strip brand you use. The answer to achieving pearly white teeth lies within black charcoal capsules.

That’s right! The latest trend when it comes to whitening your teeth is to substitute the toothpaste in your bathroom with activated charcoal capsules. Several vloggers and bloggers across various social media platforms such as YouTube and Pinterest are flaunting their teeth covered in what appears to be powdered charcoal. They believe that brushing your teeth with activated charcoal is a natural way of getting rid of those ugly coffee, wine, as well as tea stains. Why use activated charcoal over traditional dental care products such as toothpaste or whitening strips? That answer is simple. Brushing your teeth with activated charcoal for just one week can show significant changes in the color of your teeth.

Activated charcoal is frequently used as a health and beauty product. It is common to find this ingredient in health juices as well as skin care products because of its detoxifying properties. However, is it really effective in helping you achieve pearly white teeth? We asked dental professionals on where they stand when it comes to putting black powder in your mouth.

Activated Charcoal: A Dose Of Detoxification

According to Dr. Mark Wolff, a professor at New York University College of Dentistry’s Department of Cardiology, “Activated charcoal has been used for many things. It’s a purifying agent that absorbs impurities.” Activated charcoal is used for its detoxifying properties. This means that it is very common to find this ingredient in air filter systems as well as hospitals. They make use of activated charcoal to help treat cases of accidental poisoning and drug overdose (1). This form of charcoal is slightly different from the ones you are more used to seeing in barbecues. Activated charcoal is in the form of a powder, which vastly increases its surface area. This means that it is able to trap harmful, toxic substances within it like a sponge.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), once ingested, activated charcoal does not do much until it reaches a person’s gut. This is where it absorbs toxic substances and prevents them from entering the person’s bloodstream. The charcoal is later on passed out in the person’s next stool, clearing his/her body of more than 47% of harmful substances within one use (2).

Black Magic To Make Your Teeth White

In recent times, activated charcoal has become ubiquitous with all sorts of products – from skin care to cleaning – all thanks to the black powder’s amazing detoxifying properties. The latest part of your body to receive treatment from charcoal is your teeth. If charcoal is being used to get rid of toxins from your skin and body, then it can surely be used to get rid of those tough coffee/wine stains. Right?

There are several ways to use charcoal as part of your daily dental routine. For instance, you can purchase activated charcoal capsules that you can break open and mix with water to form a thick paste. This paste can then be substituted with your toothpaste and applied in the same fashion as toothpaste.

Another way to include activated charcoal in your dental routine is to purchase an existing toothpaste brand that contains activated charcoal. This is a lot easier since it saves you the time it takes to create the charcoal paste each morning. However, the second alternative is guaranteed to burn a larger hole in your pocket.

According to Dr. Wolff, the types of stains that need special dental care are the ones caused by colored pigments present in various foods. For instance, “If you eat a blueberry, it could stain it blue,” states Dr. Wolff. “Those are the types of stains that they think if you brush with charcoal, you can clean off.”

Although Dr. Wolff agrees that charcoal can prove to be effective in getting rid of stains on your teeth, he strongly advises against replacing your toothpaste with activated charcoal. The reason being that there are several other ingredients in toothpaste that are used to kill germs, get rid of bad breath, reduce the build-up of tartar, as well as increase the overall strength of your teeth. All these properties are missing from activated charcoal.

You can still try the one-week charcoal challenge and see for yourself if activated charcoal is a better substitute than whitening strips. However, make sure you continue brushing your teeth with toothpaste on a daily basis to protect them from other dental problems.

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Chandrama Deshmukh

   

Creativity has no limits. And words have no barriers. Together they can create magic, bridge all gaps.I work with words. Words that sound great, words that make sense, words that sell and words that tell..

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