Recommend a clinically proven toothpaste and outline the benefits. If possible, send the patient home with a sample of that toothpaste. studies referenced the use of charcoal or soot to brush teeth, but they did not meet recommended inclusion criteria for the review Most charcoal toothpaste brands do not contain fluoride. Fluoride helps keep your tooth enamel strong, which helps to protect your teeth against cavities and decay. There is some evidence linking charcoal toothpaste to increased tooth decay.

It’s vital that everyone uses a toothpaste with fluoride,” said Tyrone Rodriguez, DDS, a dentist and spokesperson for the ADA. “Fluoride is a natural cavity fighter that helps strengthen tooth enamel and fight tooth decay. In fact, it has been responsible for a significant drop in cavities since 1960. This is why all toothpastes with the ADA Seal of Acceptance contain fluoride.” Greenwall L, Wilson N. Charcoal toothpastes: what we know so far. Clinical Pharmacist. 2017;9(8). doi:10.1211/PJ.2017.20203167 Unless you’re sensitive to fluoride or have another reason for avoiding it, you may want to talk with a dentist before ditching it completely. You have plenty of safe and effective options if you’re looking to whiten your teeth. Many options are over-the-counter whitening products endorsed by the American Dental Association (ADA). The researchers uncovered 118 articles that were potentially eligible for consideration in the review

In fact, the ADA’s only recommends toothpastes that include fluoride. A 2016 study reported that side effects can happen with unsupervised overingestion in a short period of time, but toxicity only occurred in very high concentrations. The marketing campaigns for these toothpastes are fashionable, trendy, and different to those for other toothpastes. This marketing has enjoyed considerable success, encouraging the introduction of related products, including ‘charcoal toothbrushes,’ which have charcoal incorporated into the bristles.

Existing research has found that charcoal toothpastes on the market vary in their levels of abrasiveness, so different products may pose different levels of risk. Koc Vural U, Bagdatli Z, Yilmaz AE, Yalçın Çakır F, Altundaşar E, Gurgan S. Effects of charcoal-based whitening toothpastes on human enamel in terms of color, surface roughness, and microhardness: an in vitro study. Clin Oral Invest. 2021;25(10):5977-5985. Doi: 10.1007/s00784-021-03903-x Shanbhag VKL. Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – a review. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2017;7(1):106-109. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.05.004Abrasive toothpastes can also pose some additional risks to your teeth, Hewlett says. Normally, the surface of a tooth’s root is covered by the gums. But abrasive toothpastes can contribute to gum recession—meaning gum tissue pulling away from teeth and leaving the surface of the roots exposed. If it’s too abrasive, over time, it can lead to sensitivity of your teeth,” says Linda Cheng, DDS, clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M University School of Dentistry. There's a difference between removing surface stains and whitening. Surface stains, also known as extrinsic stains, come from the usual suspects: coffee, red wine, tobacco, and dark colored foods and drinks. They live on the enamel layer and can generally be removed with toothpastes or surface whitening treatments. Deeper, intrinsic stains are dark coloring that comes from within the tooth, sometimes as a result of trauma, weak enamel, certain types of medication, and even overuse of fluoride. Think of these as the underlying color of your teeth; no matter how dedicated you are to whitening the surface, a major lightening of tooth color can only come from bleaching treatments that penetrate below the outer surface of teeth. These whitening technologies are the most effective, according to a 2019 study that compared whitening toothpaste and technologies, including activated charcoal. Natural home remedies Point to recent studies that show the damage that charcoal toothpaste can potentially cause to your teeth.