{"id":48677,"date":"2017-07-20T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48677"},"modified":"2017-07-24T11:53:06","modified_gmt":"2017-07-24T15:53:06","slug":"activated-charcoal-natural-teeth-whitening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/activated-charcoal-natural-teeth-whitening\/","title":{"rendered":"Activated Charcoal: Teeth Whitening Secret or Total Scam?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Activated
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You brush your teeth and floss on the reg. You\u2019ve tried everything from the latest toothpaste to whitening strips, gels and trays but nothing seems to give you that 100-watt smile<\/a>. So what\u2019s the best way to get gleaming pearly whites?<\/p>\n

According to Pinterest and YouTube, the path to whiter teeth is covered in a pitch-black paste. Bloggers and vloggers claim that brushing with activated charcoal<\/a> is an all-natural way to remove surface stains caused by coffee, tea or red wine<\/a> without bleach or abrasives. To prove it, they\u2019re flaunting soot-covered teeth straight out of a horror movie. The result? Fluorescent white teeth after as few as one use, proponents say.<\/p>\n

While you may have used charcoal in your skincare and juice routine (see the pros and cons of ingesting it here<\/a>), should you replace your toothpaste<\/em> with the powdery black substance? We checked in with dental professionals to find out whether activated charcoal is a safe and effective way to whiten your teeth \u2014 or if it will just leave your mouth full of dust.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Could Eating Charcoal Help You Detox?<\/a><\/p>\n

Activated Charcoal: The Whitening Promise<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cActivated charcoal has been used for many things. It\u2019s a purifying agent that absorbs impurities,\u201d says Dr. Mark Wolff, DDS, Professor and Chair of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at the New York University College of Dentistry. While you\u2019ll find activated charcoal in air filters, traditionally, hospitals and poison control centers use it to treat accidental poisoning or a drug overdose. Unlike the bricks you use for your backyard barbecue<\/a>, activated charcoal\u2019s enormous surface area is dotted with the numerous nooks and crannies that draw in and trap toxic substances in your gut like a sponge, preventing them from being absorbed by the body by approximately 47 percent<\/a>. The bad stuff is then carried out with your next bowel movement.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike any abrasive, we\u2019re worried about the effects on the gums and enamel on the teeth.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More recently, though, the superfine powder has made its way to the health and beauty market, popping up in everything from face masks to cleaners to detox regimens<\/a>. And the latest body part to get the black magic treatment is your smile. After all, if activated charcoal can remove toxins<\/a> from our body and skin, can\u2019t it remove those pesky stains from your teeth and get them squeaky clean?<\/p>\n

Is Black the New White?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Proponents say yes. And the prescription is simple: First, break open capsules of activated charcoal, mix the powder with water, then brush the thick black paste directly onto your teeth. Others recommend swishing the powder around in your mouth or using a special toothpaste containing charcoal<\/a>. After three to five minutes, rinse away the charcoal (and stains) and voil\u00e0! Whiter teeth. In theory, at least\u2026<\/p>\n

Your teeth may become discolored due to a variety of factors from poor dental hygiene to the food you eat<\/a> to just getting older<\/a>. \u201cIf you eat a blueberry<\/a>, it could stain it blue,\u201d says Dr. Wolff. \u201cThose are the types of stains that they think if you brush with charcoal, you can clean off.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Minneapolis-based dentist and spokesperson for the American Dental Association Dr. Kim Harms, DDS says to hold off. \u201cThere\u2019s no evidence at all that activated charcoal does any good for your teeth,\u201d says Dr. Harms. She worries about the potential damage the grainy substance can do to your teeth and gums. \u201cLike any abrasive, we\u2019re worried about the effects on the gums and enamel on the teeth. We don\u2019t know about the safety and effectiveness of it,\u201d she says. And according to Dr. Wolff, attempts to use charcoal in toothpaste haven\u2019t been met with tremendous success.<\/p>\n

Dr. Harms also notes that activated charcoal shouldn\u2019t replace everyday teeth cleaning and regular visits to the dentist. \u201cThe important part of brushing and flossing is the physical removal of plaque. The toothpaste you\u2019re using, from a dentist\u2019s point of view, delivers fluoride to teeth,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re concerned about practices where people are using products without fluoride. Fluoride is nature\u2019s cavity fighter and can cut tooth decay by up to 40 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charcoal Toothpaste: The Gritty Truth\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no scientific indication that [activated charcoal] actually works and there are better options out there that do work,\u201d says Dr. Harms. If you want a gleaming white smile, both Dr. Harms and Dr. Wolff recommend talking to your dentist about using traditional whitening toothpaste for surface stains or over-the-counter treatments<\/a> for deeper stains.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,\u201d says Dr. Wolff. \u201cI still recommend any of the mainstream whitening toothpastes or seeing the dentist. The mainstream whitening toothpastes are going to be safe. There are a number of products on the market that can be too abrasive.\u201d If you do go the DIY charcoal-route, he advises using it sparingly and discontinuing its use if your teeth become sensitive.<\/p>\n

Originally published March 2016. Updated July 20, 2017.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Activated charcoal has been touted as the DIY win for whiter teeth. But is brushing with charcoal toothpaste all that safe and effective? Experts weigh in. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,11],"tags":[276,41,43,341,384],"class_list":["post-48677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-health-hacks","tag-detox","tag-diets","tag-diy","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2dental-care"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}