Should You Stay Away From Charcoal Toothpaste?

Charcoal toothpaste has been around in recent years and is advertised to whiten teeth. It comes in the form of a semiliquid paste or powder that includes activated charcoal as a main ingredient. Activated charcoal is essentially that: charcoal, but in a fine, powdery form.

The idea behind charcoal toothpaste is that it has the capability of absorbing stains off your teeth, advertising that your teeth will look whiter without having to try any other whitening products or procedures.

About Charcoal Toothpaste

Charcoal toothpastes and powders are portrayed as a remedy that is designed to whiten teeth, kill bacteria, stop viruses, promote fresh breath, and have other benefits. While that all sounds promising, these are quite misleading claims intended to market to consumers, just like the age-old snake oil. The claims that companies make are not supported by any evidence or testing.

Most charcoal toothpastes and products do not specify how much activated charcoal there actually is inside these substances and powder, so for all we know, there could actually just be trace amounts of it inside each product. If there was a percentage of charcoal that would be beneficial for teeth, then you would realize if such product would meet that claim.

On the drug facts panel on marked packages of charcoal powders and toothpastes, charcoal will be classified as an “inactive ingredient”. If it is one of the last items to be listed, it is an indicator that it’s one of the lightest ingredients in the product.

Why You Should Avoid Charcoal Toothpaste

Do dentists in Kitchener recommend charcoal toothpaste or powder to brush your teeth? Most of them do not.

Firstly, charcoal, even in a fine powdery form, is known to be abrasive. Charcoal is essentially a rock, even when it is as smooth as powder. While that abrasiveness is touted to help absorb stains on your teeth, it could actually chip away at your tooth enamel instead. When your enamel wears down, your teeth will actually turn more yellow instead of more white. So while you are counting on charcoal to make your teeth look whiter, it might actually do the opposite.

While some claim that these products are not abrasive enough, these charcoal products do not have any certifications from medical institutions, so there is no telling how safe these charcoal powders and toothpastes are at this time.

How Is Charcoal Beneficial To Humans?

Activated charcoal is considered a very helpful compound in medicine, but not like how it is used in charcoal toothpaste. It is used in products that have the chance of poisoning somebody if swallowed. When accidentally consumed, charcoal works to absorb a percentage of that poison in a timely manner. Some compounds, however, do not take to being absorbed into the charcoal, so it won’t work for just any poisonous product. Charcoal powder, and even charcoal pills are available to buy at the drugstore to help with the digestive system, and people who suffer from bloating or gas problems.

We recommend patients avoid charcoal toothpaste, as they are not proven and can come with many risks for not just your teeth, but your wellbeing. For whiter teeth, you can try a Zoom Whitening procedure that can leave your teeth eight shades whiter in under an hour.

Summary

Charcoal toothpaste is a new trend in toothbrushing, but the majority of dentists do not recommend it due to its low concentration levels and high risk to damage teeth rather than restore them.