Is Charcoal Teeth Whitening The New Black? The Jury Is Still Out.

30 March 2017

Not a day goes by without a new health and beauty hack going viral on the internet. One that we keep seeing crop up is the use of charcoal powder (available for next to nothing at your nearest chemist) to whiten your teeth. You simply apply the powder to a damp toothbrush and massage it onto your teeth for a few minutes. Devotees insist that it’s a natural and effective way to brighten your teeth permanently. But is charcoal all that good for teeth whitening or is it just another beauty fad?

It’s no secret that activated charcoal has a real medical use. Hospitals and treatment centres regularly use it when patients have overdosed on drugs or have too much of a toxin in their body. It has excellent absorption properties and when administered shortly after a drug is taken it can reduce its load in your system. But does that mean that it will ‘lift away toxins’ from your teeth?

Fans of brushing with charcoal believe that it helps to lift tough teeth stains that come from consuming red wine, coffee and antibiotic use. However, research isn’t conclusive and there hasn’t been any real evidence to suggest this method works any better than regularly brushing your teeth.

The good news is that brushing with charcoal certainly won’t cause any damage as the powder is quite soft. And as long as you avoid brushing your mouth and gums too hard you shouldn’t experience any negative side effects.

The consensus is that if over the counter teeth whitening products like charcoal really worked, most dental clinics would be out of business. And with teeth whitening so competitively priced it evidently isn’t so. As a method of keeping your teeth white, charcoal is messy, time-consuming and won’t provide you with the dramatic results you desire.

So it seems that if you want to enjoy a long lasting bright smile, a traditional cosmetic dentistry option is the way to go.

All it requires is that you wear two customised mouth trays overnight for roughly 20 days for the best result. No black powder mess or fuss required!

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