Charcoal toothpastes are a recent addition to the oral healthcare market and has seen a boom in popularity thanks to social media. Users on Instagram and snapchat have been raving about the virtues of charcoal toothpaste claiming a cleaner mouth and a whiter smile as a result. But is there any truth in the hype? Are these overpriced toothpastes worth investing in and will the survive the competitive work of oral healthcare marketing? Are they just another marketing ploy? I put it to the test.
Charcoal has been used historically, perhaps with chimney soot, was one of several materials in the past used to clean teeth. It was very popular in Ireland.
According to the Pharmaceutical Journal, charcoal was not found to abrade teeth and had the added advantage, given to its absorbent qualities, of helping to control halitosis. Charcoal is used in many countries in Africa to clean teeth where regular toothpastes are not available.
Activated charcoal (i.e. charcoal that is combined with certain agents at a high temperature which increased the surface area of particles making them more porous) has been widely lauded of late for its detoxifying properties and has become a popular addition to facemasks, cleansers and other beauty products. It can even be consumed a supplement as it is claimed to bind to toxins in the body. The World Health Organisation (WHO) listed activated charcoal for the treatment of poisoning and overdoes in the 1990’s.
Recently, charcoal has been added to toothpastes as it is thought that the mild abrasive action of the charcoal has an effect on the extrinsic staining on teeth and will absorb surface stains. Charcoal has also been added to bristles of toothbrushes for a more subtle result. Charcoal has no effect on intrinsic, deeper stains. Extrinsic stains are stains that are superficial on the tooth surface caused be foods and drinks like, tea, coffee, red wine. These stains can be removed by mildly abrasive materials like whitening toothpastes or baking soda. Charcoal will not “whiten” the teeth. Whitening can only occur when a bleaching material is placed on the teeth in safe and controlled manner, which permeates the enamel to whitening the colour pigment of dentine. In Ireland, the overnight system of tooth whitening, where whitening peroxide gel, in a safe concentration is placed into custom made whitening trays and are worn daily for several hours a day for a length of time is favoured. Dentists are not permitted to carry out laser tooth whitening treatments on patients as advised by the Dental Council of Ireland.
Charcoal toothpastes cannot be assumed to be a regular toothpaste to which activated charcoal has been added. Agents added to toothpastes, which will help remove dental plaque from teeth and harden the tooth surface (e.g. fluoride) may not be added to these toothpastes as they will be absorbed by the charcoal. It is important for patients to consider the contents of their charcoal toothpaste.
In terms of the disadvantages of charcoal toothpastes, in light of limited research on the topic, negative effects of the toothpastes can only be noted first hand from patient experience.
Cracks and crevices in teeth or the margins of fillings can also absorb charcoal, leading to a negative aesthetic result and may lead to patients having fillings replaced for this reason. Some patients have found their teeth to be sensitive after using charcoal toothpaste, presumably from the mild abrasive effect of the material.
So I tried it myself. The toothpaste itself is black and unsavoury looking. It is incredibly messy to brush with, with particles of the charcoal toothpaste flying all over my bathroom mirror and on to my clothes ( note to self, never wear a white top when brushing your teeth with charcoal toothpaste !). After rinsing my mouth with copious amounts of water to rid my teeth of the residue of the charcoal, I found myself pleasantly surprised. My teeth felt clean due to the natural exfoliator effect of the charcoal and they looked brighter.
To conclude, charcoal toothpastes have been found to help remove extrinsic stains from the teeth without negative abrasive effects, but the extent and rate of stain removal is difficult to proven. As a dentist, I would advise a patient who wants to use charcoal toothpaste, to use occasionally, and to brush the teeth and gums with little pressure to avoid any potential abrasive effect. Proper fluoride toothpaste is an essential part of maintaining a healthy mouth and it is also far less expensive than charcoal toothpaste ( the average price of charcoal toothpaste is between 10-20 euro, far more expensive than a fluoridated version).
Charcoal toothpastes can be used as an adjunct to your usual oral hygiene routine, but please don’t give up on your usual fluoridated toothpaste, it is hugely important and cannot be substituted.
Thank you for reading and for your continued support! Head over to my blog at www.jcdentistry.ie/blog-1 for more reading!