DOES ACTIVATED CHARCOAL TEETH WHITENING REALLY WORK?
Have you heard about the activated charcoal teeth whitening craze? It is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to whiten teeth, but why? It seem counterintuitive, how can rubbing a black powder over your pearly whites actually take away stains instead of leaving them pitch black? People are often shocked when they first see activated charcoal being used in this way, but the truth is it has been a component of dental care for a lot longer than you think. Here is everything else you need to know about this huge beauty trend.
WHAT IS ACTIVATED CHARCOAL?
Activated charcoal is formed after regular charcoal’s surface area is expanded through a combination of increased heat and gas or some other activating agent. These complex chemical changes give you what is popularly known as activated charcoal.
THE HISTORY BEHIND ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AND TEETH WHITENING
Charcoal has been significant for centuries, and has been used for everything from treating water to combating toxic poisonings.
It has a long history of use in emergency medicine for the treatment of drug overdose or accidental poisoning.
In fact, early versions of toothpaste including the one that the Romans used, often called for ground charcoal as one of the ingredients. While these uses were not specific to teeth whitening, they do prove that charcoal has been important to many societies for a very long time.
HOW DO PEOPLE WHITEN WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAL?
Whitening with activated charcoal may seem crazy which is probably why it has gotten so much attention recently. You’ve probably scrolled through one of your social feeds and noticed a video of someone brushing their teeth with something black. That’s how it looks when you brush with activated charcoal, like you are using a black toothpaste.
HOW TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAL
1. First, obtain activated (not regular) charcoal that will be safe for you to brush your teeth with to get them white.
2. Then, get a special toothbrush that is just for your charcoal brushing.
3. Mix the powder with some water to make a paste, and put the paste on the brush.
4. Then, brush the paste on your teeth for a few minutes (typically just two or three).
5. Now comes a very important part, spit out the charcoal carefully. You don’t want to get it all over your outfit or bathroom.
6. Then, rinse out your mouth with water and spit it out and then brush with your toothpaste to remove any leftover residue.
The reason behind why activated charcoal seems to have a whitening effect, is because the activated charcoal is attracted to tannins. Tannins are those things that lurk in your favourite dark coloured drinks like wine, coffee and tea and leave behind ugly stains on your teeth. So if you are seeing lots of tannin stains from, it stands to reason that activated charcoal brushing might be able to help. Whitening your teeth with activated charcoal is a natural way to get rid of some of the unsightly surface stains that might be lingering on your teeth.