In ancient India, charcoal has been used for cleaning teeth and this is not myth. But, recently there has been a lot of speculation around the use of charcoal in toothpastes. You are watching ads of toothpastes that mention the use of charcoal in them. Even bloggers and influencers on the internet are all gaga about charcoal being a natural alternative to peroxide when it comes to teeth whitening. Let’s know more about this charcoal ingredient and its role in whitening our teeth.
Apparently, this ingredients called charcoal is either the residue of coconut shells, coal, olive pits, saw dust, petroleum cake, peat or bone char. This charcoal does have the abilities to absorb impurities as well as dust. It finds its use in a lot of water filtration systems only because of this ability besides treatment of food poisoning and drug overdoses.
So, is using charcoal in toothpastes apparently a good idea? Dentists do differ in their opinion a bit here. Dentists say that using charcoal is okay if it is used in form of a fine powder and once a month because it is abrasive in nature. Also, as per them, it’s better to consult a dentist before starting the use of it. a cosmetic dentist has even gone to say that charcoal can cause more harm to your teeth than good. So, he advises people to not just blindly follow the fads and trends but use stuff that is proven.
Extensive use of charcoal can erode your enamel, and it won’t be coming back once it gets removed. For many who arent aware, the fact of the matter is that even today the american dental association does not approve of charcoal. Last year itself the journal of american dental association did conclude that
“insufficient clinical and laboratory data to substantiate the safety and efficacy claims of charcoal and charcoal-based dentifrices.”
So, just don’t jump into the charcoal for teeth bandwagon. look before you leap.
RRDCH is one of the best dental colleges in Bangalore
*Sourced from the Internet