Can You Use Activated
Charcoal to Whiten Teeth?
There have recently been some people blogging about the
benefits of using activated charcoal to whiten teeth. It is a black, powdery
substance that has been used to treat accidental drug overdose in hospitals or
poison control centers. So I was obviously a little surprised to hear people
were touting its teeth whitening benefits. Let’s look a little deeper into what
we do and don’t know about activated charcoal.
Is there any evidence that
activated charcoal has any positive affects on your teeth?
According to ADA
(American Dental Association) spokesperson Dr. Kim Harms, “there’s no evidence
at all the activated charcoal does any good for your teeth.” I personally just
recently heard about this potential trend, so I don’t really have any good
anecdotal evidence either way. So until proven otherwise, I cannot tell you
that using it will have any positive affect on your oral health.
Is activated charcoal safe
for you and your teeth?
There really isn’t any quality research on the topic of
its safety, so I can’t really say one way or the other. However, because we
don’t have enough information, we would have to recommend against using
activated charcoal with the intention of whitening your teeth. There are plenty
of other proven, safe, effective, and affordable teeth whitening options.
Do you know of any potential
harmful side affects?
We don’t know how it would affect the teeth or gums, so
there is a potential that prolonged use could hurt both. Abrasive materials can
wear away the teeth or gums and cause serious long term problems.
The bottom line is until we know more, I would recommend
against using activated charcoal to whiten your teeth. Ask us about all of the
different options that are available and we can help customize a plan to fit
your needs.
For more information, visit www.dentistwestchester.com.
Lee T. Brown, DDS
Brown and Kupper, DDS Inc.
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