Charcoal toothpastes are ‘dangerous,’ don’t whiten and may cause decay, a new review says
It’s time to give charcoal toothpastes the brushoff, according to a new research paper that slams the supposed tooth-whitening products as a “marketing gimmick” that can actually do more harm than good.
“Not only is it not beneficial, but it’s potentially dangerous,” American Dental Association spokesman Dr. Matt Messina told MarketWatch. “This is where I have to speak out, and where the [dental] profession has to speak out.”While 96% of the charcoal toothpastes in the U.K. report claimed to have teeth whitening properties, the review noted that bleaching agents are needed for whitening and stain-removing effects — which these charcoal pastes and powders did not have.
But what’s worse than wasting money on a product that probably won’t work, however, is that the abrasive nature of charcoal may wear down tooth enamel and actually cause teeth to become more stained, and more vulnerable.Dr. Messina likens it to lightening a hardwood floor: You sand the surface down to the brighter under-layer, but you can only keep doing that until you run out of wood.
Also, only 8% of the charcoal toothpastes in the British review contained fluoride, a natural element proven to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities and decay. Indeed, all toothpastes with the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance must contain fluoride. And even those charcoal toothpastes that did contain fluoride could have eliminated the element’s protection, because charcoal can deactivate fluoride, the researchers wrote.
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