Modern health trends come and go rapidly these days, and one of the latest is the use of charcoal toothpaste. The claim is that adding charcoal to toothpaste adds whitening, stain-removing, and deep cleaning properties that you may not find in regular toothpaste. But does charcoal toothpaste work? Let’s explore how toothpaste works and the properties of charcoal to understand the topic better.
Different Kinds of Toothpaste
Your toothpaste is a cleaning product that helps remove dirt, debris, dental plaque, and food from your teeth. This cleaning is usually done by including several ingredients that work together to do their job effectively. So, these ingredients include fluorides, abrasives, and surfactants.
There are several different kinds of toothpaste available on the market today. They differentiate themselves by including various mixes of ingredients, such as flavorings, menthol, anti-drying agents, and anti-bacterial agents.
It may seem not very clear at first, but it isn’t! On the contrary, it helps to understand what’s inside your toothpaste so that you can work out whether you’ve got the right one for you. Also, it’ll help us understand later whether charcoal toothpaste works.
What’s In Your Toothpaste?
So, the different ingredients we mentioned earlier all play a role in maintaining your oral hygiene. Here’s what they all do.
Fluorides are a prevalent ingredient. Manufacturers put small amounts of fluoride in your toothpaste to strengthen your dental bones and tooth enamel. It reduces cavities, prevents caries and gingivitis. Overall, it makes your teeth stronger.
Next, abrasives are an essential component of toothpaste. As the name implies, they are hard particles that scrub away plaque from your teeth. They also help clean dental calculus, which is hardened plaque. You can see that abrasives minimize tartar formation on your teeth and gum line.
Finally, surfactants are substances that allow your toothpaste to foam up. They enable the toothpaste to distribute and cover every corner of your mouth evenly.
So What About Charcoal? Does Charcoal Toothpaste Work?
Simply put, charcoal comes from heating – but not burning – wood, bamboo, or other plant products, so that it removes all moisture. The result is an almost pure carbon residue. When charcoal is activated, this means lots of tiny pores are put into the surface to allow greater absorption power. Medically, activated charcoal can treat some oral poisons. But does it work to clean your teeth better?
Unfortunately, there isn’t any substantial evidence from doctors or experts that backs up these claims. There are many claims online by manufacturers saying that charcoal toothpaste has special anti-bacterial, brightening, or whitening properties, but there have been no clinical studies done on the subject.
Therefore, the safety and effectiveness of activated charcoal are a subject that hasn’t been studied, especially from a dental perspective. You’re best off taking these claims with a grain of salt and stick to your dentist’s recommended toothpaste.
Takeaway: Charcoal Doesn’t Seem To Work
The best option is to use toothpaste that contains FDA-approved ingredients and ask your dentist for expert advice. Your dentist at Cypress Dental will recommend the best toothpaste for your specific oral hygiene needs. Contact us at (832) 427-6620, and we’ll be glad to help you.