A lot of my patients have been asking me questions about activated charcoal toothpaste for teeth whitening. So here’s the deal with charcoal toothpaste! 🦷 Activated charcoal is used medically to treat overdose and pull toxins/poisons out of the gut. It has not been proven to be able to lift stains from your teeth and is actually abrasive so it can strip away your enamel. 🦷 Enamel is the outermost layer of your tooth. It gives your tooth it’s white color and protects it from cavities. Since enamel doesn’t have any living cells it doesn’t regenerate. This means once it’s gone- it’s gone! The yellow part of your tooth - dentin - become more apparent. So long term effects of using charcoal on your teeth will make them yellow because of the missing enamel. Why do teeth naturally become yellow in the first place?? 🦷 Age: With time you wear away your enamel causing more of your dentin to show and making your teeth look yellow. To avoid this you can use less abrasive toothpastes, soft bristle toothbrushes, and make sure you’re not pushing too hard when you’re brushing your teeth. 🦷 Food and Drink: There are so many foods and drinks that have pigmentations like coffee, teas, and soda. These pigments attach to the enamel and cause staining and yellowing. Avoiding these foods or using a straw can really help! 🦷 Tobacco: Tar and Nicotine in Tobacco cause teeth to yellow and darken. Beautiful healthy teeth are just one of the many benefits of not smoking or chewing tobacco. What can you use to whitening your teeth? 🦷 In-office whitening with your dentist is the most safe and effective. We use KoR whitening at our office! Follow the link for more information! 🦷 Custom take home whitening trays 🦷 Whitening toothpaste with the ADA seal 🦷 Lastly whitening strips with ADA seal