Brushing your teeth with activated charcoal . . . Quackery?

[Bateluer]

http://www.mamanatural.com/charcoal-teeth-whitening/

They were talking about this on my drive home from yesterday morning. Not sure if its quackery or not, but they have several local callers call in and say it works, and works far better than whitening strips. Anyone try it?

Its definitely cheaper than whitening strips, at less than ten bucks for a bottle of 100 capsules.

What you need to whiten your teeth with activated charcoal
1 old toothbrush (or one you don’t mind getting black)
1 capsule of Activated Charcoal (I use this brand)
A cup
Water


Activated Charcoal teeth whitening directions:
Wet your toothbrush well.
Place toothbrush on top of a napkin, piece of toilet paper, or paper towel.
Gently twist open your activated charcoal capsule.
Carefully empty activated charcoal powder onto toothbrush
Start brushing! It will be a little bit “powdery” at the beginning, but your saliva will soon take over and spread the powder everywhere. You could also add a small amount of toothpaste to your toothbrush and dip into the charcoal powder if you prefer.
Gently brush for 3 to 5 minutes. Spit periodically into your cup, rather than sink. This will make clean up easier!
Rinse your mouth well with water. Be sure to brush your tongue too with water as it will be black
Dump your spit cup into the toilet and flush.
Clean any excess powder residue on your sink with a baby wipe.

 

[lxskllr]

Dunno, but it should be harmless to try. If it doesn't work, save the charcoal for when you're sick.

 

[disappoint]

Is this is safe for your enamel?

 

[Crono]

Probably safe, but not very effective:
http://www.xovain.com/how-to/does-activated-charcoal-whiten-teeth

Baking soda and/or hydrogen peroxide probably work better as home remedies.

 

[xSauronx]

whitening strips sucked last time i used them. my teeth hurt and i had a couple of cavities, which hasnt happened in a long time. this was maybe 3 or so years ago.

that was using them daily as directed. last time i had some i think i used them twice a week. no harm done, but also no drastic results. meh.

 

[z1ggy]

whitening strips sucked last time i used them. my teeth hurt and i had a couple of cavities, which hasnt happened in a long time. this was maybe 3 or so years ago.

that was using them daily as directed. last time i had some i think i used them twice a week. no harm done, but also no drastic results. meh.

This is my experience also. I used the more "powerful" ones once. holy shit. My teeth hurt so much and were so sensitive even just the air passing over them from breathing hurt like hell. To top it off, I noticed no real difference in whiteness.

I would assume a baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mix would work better and be cheaper.

 

[IronWing]

Dr. Bronner's is all you need*.







* And enough sleep.

 

[jagec]

Unless you have teeth like Austin Powers or work in Hollywood, you don't need any more tooth whitening than you get in a tube of toothpaste.

Brush and floss, done.

 

[Kadarin]

Unless you have teeth like Austin Powers or work in Hollywood, you don't need any more tooth whitening than you get in a tube of toothpaste.

Brush and floss, done.

Heh... But if you do work in Hollywood, your teeth aren't white enough unless they can light up a dark room.

 

[Jaepheth]

I can't imagine it'd be any better than baking soda.

Probably more effective than brushing with only coconut oil since it's a grit of a sort.


Still need to floss though, whatever your schtick.

 

[Zargon]

Heh... But if you do work in Hollywood, your teeth aren't white enough unless they can light up a dark room.

 

[NetGuySC]

I believe hydrogen peroxide is terrible for your gums, I mean in the amounts one would use when mixing it with baking soda.