Activated charcoal toothpaste is the latest trendy way to whiten your teeth, prompting some of our patients to ask whether or not it is safe to use.
Activated charcoal has been used as a trusted medical treatment for over 2,000 years. The porous nature of activated charcoal helps absorb anything in it’s path. It’s been used to help treat people who have been poisoned. The charcoal is able to draw in and trap toxic substances within the gut and keep them from entering the bloodstream.
We’re happy to report that charcoal toothpaste can effectively remove surface stains on teeth, allowing them to take on a brighter, whiter appearance. The biggest concern is that charcoal toothpaste is highly abrasive on teeth. Regularly brushing your teeth with a highly abrasive toothpaste can wear away tooth enamel, the white outer protective surface, and eventually lead to the second layer of tooth structure, which is dentin, to be exposed. The dentin layer is typically more yellow in appearance and is more sensitive to air and cold water. Once the enamel is gone you can NOT grow it back.
If you are going to try charcoal toothpaste, please use it with caution. Why put your teeth at risk of enamel abrasion? We offer FREE teeth whitening that is safe and effective.
We will take impressions of your teeth and make custom trays. Opalescence PF gel is placed in the thin, comfortable trays and fitted over your teeth. As you whiten your teeth the carbamide peroxide is broken down and oxygen enters the enamel and dentin which bleaches out the discolored areas. The structure of the tooth is not changed, the color of the tooth is simply made lighter. Opalescence PF is chosen for our patients because it contains carbamide peroxide, potassium nitrate, and fluoride which helps improve your oral health while you whiten by strengthening enamel and decreasing sensitivity.
Radiance Dental 