Does Charcoal Really Work for Whitening Your Teeth?

Whitening your teeth at home is a trend that has taken off and reached epic proportions. The whole thing started when Crest introduced whitening strips in 2001. These strips had to be left on for ages, and you couldn’t eat or drink anything for a certain amount of time afterward. Since these strips, at-home whitening has evolved to include everything from gels to toothpastes to LED lights. One of the more recent additions to the market is activate charcoal. It seems counter-intuitive to use something black to whiten your teeth, so we investigated.

What is Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal can be made from a variety of sources, including coal (duh) and wood. The part that makes it ‘active’ is a heat treatment that is applied to increase the surface area of the molecules. It comes in powder form, and is always synthetically produced.

Products that are labelled as organic activated charcoal are made organic sources. Activated charcoal does not occur naturally, so some processing is needed no matter what the source is.

Activated charcoal was originally used to treat poisoning, such as accidental overdoses of cyanide, iron, or strong acids and bases. It works as an antidote because toxins easily bind to the expanded surface area.

This same principle is behind using charcoal in beauty products. Before whitening your teeth with charcoal became popular, it was added to body and face washes. The dirt on your skin and in your pores is attracted to the activated charcoal particles, thus removing them from your body when you rinse off. When you brush your teeth with it, the food remnants and plaque are attracted to the charcoal and removed when you rinse.

Our Test

In order to see if activated charcoal is effective for whitening your teeth, we purchased a package of activated charcoal and brushed with it twice a day. Here are the parameters of our experiment:

1 – We brushed first with a regular whitening toothpaste. Charcoal doesn’t do anything to kill bacteria or freshen your breath, so normal toothpaste is still necessary. We used the charcoal for one full week.

2 – We brushed twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. This is our normal routine anyway, and we followed it with mouthwash.

3 – We stuck to our normal diet. Drinks like coffee and wine can stain your teeth, and we wanted to see if the charcoal would work on an everyday basis.

4 – We followed the instructions on the package. The container specifically says a little goes a long way, so we used the charcoal sparingly.

5 – We didn’t use any other whitening products. The toothpaste we used is labelled as whitening, but the vast majority of toothpaste products on the market now offer the same whitening capabilities. We did not use any strips, gels, or any other form of whitening product.

Does it Work?

We were pleased to find that brushing your teeth with activated charcoal does in fact work. After the first application, there was some noticeable whitening.

Pros and Cons

As with any product, there are ups and downs.

Pros:

·         It did the job and provided noticeable effects

·         It worked quickly, with visible whitening after the first use

·         There was no wait time after brushing before we could eat or drink anything

·         It was easy to incorporate into our daily routines

·         It didn’t taste like anything, whereas most whitening products have an overpowering artificial mint flavour

·         The cost was reasonable, with most brands ranging from $15 to $20

·         Only a small amount was needed, so the package will last a long time

Cons:

·         It was messy, and created black splashes

·         It stained our toothbrushes

·         It gets in between your teeth, so you have to rinse several times to remove the residue

Other Factors to Consider

After brushing with the charcoal, we found that our teeth felt smoother and cleaner throughout the day. This may be due to the charcoal, or it may be because we brushed our teeth twice.

As coffee drinkers know, after the first cup of coffee you start feel like you have java breath. This feeling wasn’t as prevalent, and as a result we felt fresher in the afternoon. Again, this could be because of the charcoal or because of double brushing in the morning.

In the end, using charcoal to whiten your teeth works. We would definitely purchase another charcoal whitening product.