Does Charcoal Toothpaste Really Work?

If you’ve heard charcoal toothpaste is great for whitening your teeth, you should also know the product comes with risks.

Many tooth whitening products have flooded the market, and some have the added novelty of activated charcoal tooth whiteners. Some people get a real kick out of smearing stuff that looks like tar all over their teeth in an attempt to freshen their pearly whites.

Activated charcoal does have its place in medicine. Since the late 1800s, activated charcoal has been given to people who have been poisoned because the charcoal absorbs toxins in the stomach. Because activated charcoal is extremely porous and contains a negative electrical charge, the positive molecules found in poisons bind with the charcoal. The poisoning is halted, according to Healthline, and the charcoal and bound toxins pass out of the body through the next bowel movement.

One of the first publicized cosmetic products to promote the use of activated charcoal was facial masks. Several high-priced cosmetics manufacturers promote smearing the black goop all over your face to revitalize your complexion. Many social media influencers couldn’t wait for the charcoal toothpaste to become available so they could post photos and videos of themselves looking like they squeezed their toothpaste out of a tar pit.

Questionable Safety of Charcoal Toothpaste

Is charcoal-based toothpaste the greatest product to whiten teeth? Not according to the American Dental Association, which said in the September 2017 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association that no evidence indicates charcoal-based dental products are safe or effective for the teeth.

In fact, activated charcoal may help remove surface stains, but so will brushing with a regular fluoride toothpaste.

Brushing with charcoal-based products may damage the enamel layer of the teeth, which is the layer you are trying to whiten. Charcoal is abrasive, which means with repeated use, it can rub away the enamel coating of your teeth, leaving the yellow-based dentin exposed. Teeth will become very sensitive without the enamel protecting the dentin.

Even if activated charcoal kills some germs, it’s not delivering fluoride to the teeth. Fluoride is the active ingredient in toothpaste that helps protect against cavities.

Anyone who is older might not realize they have hairline cracks in their teeth. Tiny grains of charcoal might become embedded in those cracks and appear as stains. The same thing might happen if you have veneers, crowns or white fillings. The last thing you want is your dental work to be highlighted by a black frame around it.

For those who are wondering, at its base, activated charcoal is the same thing as charcoal briquets you use on the grill, with some important differences. Both are made from peat, coal, wood or coconut shells, but the charcoal briquets on the grill may be treated with petroleum and sodium nitrate. Activated charcoal is heated to a point that the surface area becomes larger and the charcoal becomes more porous, which is why it becomes absorbent.

Join a Free Activated Charcoal Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased activated charcoal products based on the advertised health benefits, you may qualify to join a this activated charcoal lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.