Dental hygiene is so important, and that is why new trends in dental care are constantly happening. One of the most recent trends is charcoal.
The trend started with charcoal toothpaste, and now it has expanded into charcoal toothbrushes too.
When we talk about charcoal in terms of dental hygiene, we don’t mean charcoal that you put on your grill.
Instead, we mean activated charcoal, which has reported links to whitening teeth, removing bacteria from the mouth, and even freshening up your breath.
But, despite their reported health benefits, charcoal toothbrushes are still something that many people are sceptical of.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at what charcoal toothbrushes are, whether they are better than regular toothbrushes, and, most importantly, if they are safe.
So keep on reading to find out more!
What Is A Charcoal Toothbrush?
First things first, let’s take a look at what a charcoal toothbrush is. A charcoal toothbrush is very similar to a regular toothbrush in terms of shape and design.
Except there is one major difference between a regular toothbrush and a charcoal toothbrush, and that is the activated charcoal that is used in a charcoal toothbrush.
The bristles of a charcoal toothbrush will be infused with activated charcoal, and the handle of the toothbrush will usually be made of bamboo.
When you use a charcoal toothbrush, the activated charcoal in the bristles will brush against your teeth.
If all the research regarding activated charcoal is correct, the charcoal in the bristles will actively kill germs, remove plaque, and whiten your teeth as you brush.
Essentially, the charcoal toothbrush takes all the benefits of charcoal toothpaste and adds them to the toothbrush.
This means that you can use regular toothpaste while also getting the benefits of activated charcoal.
Charcoal toothpaste can be a bit of a pain, especially as you often have to brush the charcoal onto your teeth directly.
So, using a charcoal toothbrush gives you the benefits of charcoal toothpaste without the hassle.
Are Charcoal Toothbrushes Safe?
Now that we know what charcoal toothbrushes are, let’s take a look at whether, or not, they are safe.
All in all, yes, charcoal toothbrushes are safe to use. They have clear benefits for your dental hygiene and they are becoming widely used because of these.
However, there are some concerns which people have regarding the use of charcoal in toothpaste and toothbrushes.
This is mainly due to charcoal toothbrushes not being approved by the American Dental Association.
In particular, some people have concerns about the abrasiveness of charcoal. Especially when activated charcoal is used in toothbrush bristles.
If you have damaged enamel on your teeth, then the activated charcoal can aggravate your teeth and remove the enamel.
This is why charcoal toothbrushes aren’t the best option for everyone.
Some people also have concerns about charcoal toothbrushes in relation to the material used to make the bristles.
A lot of charcoal toothbrushes use natural materials to make the bristles, such as pig or badger hair.
These natural fibres can sometimes be too hard and abrasive, which could damage your gums if you brush too forcefully.
Natural fibres can also often be a breeding ground for bacteria, which isn’t ideal for something that you are putting in your mouth.
However, with proper care of your toothbrush, you shouldn’t have to worry about bacteria developing in your toothbrush.
Likewise, as long as you brush your teeth carefully (and not too harshly), a charcoal toothbrush will be safe to use.
Do Dentists Recommend Charcoal?
The use of activated charcoal in toothpaste and toothbrushes is something that often divides dentists.
While there are many studies that suggest that activated charcoal can whiten your teeth and kill bacteria, there are an equal amount of studies that prove no benefits of using activated charcoal when cleaning your teeth.
This is why some dentists swear by activated charcoal, while others don’t recommend it at all.
However, all in all, dentists as a whole tend not to recommend charcoal.
This is primarily because The American Dental Association has not found any evidence that charcoal toothpaste is effective, or even safe.
Yes, there has been research that suggests charcoal can whiten your teeth, and this is the main thing that attracts people to this type of toothpaste.
But, all in all, no, dentists do not recommend charcoal.
Are Charcoal Toothbrushes Better?
So, opinions are clearly split when it comes to the use of activated charcoal in dental products.
In comparison to charcoal toothpaste, a lot of people do argue that charcoal toothbrushes are better, simply because they are less hassle to use.
But are charcoal toothbrushes better than regular toothbrushes? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.
Pros
- Some studies suggest that charcoal toothbrushes can be used to whiten teeth, remove plaque, kill bacteria, and improve bad breath.
- The majority of charcoal toothbrushes are made with natural, sustainable materials, such as bamboo.
- Charcoal toothbrushes are easier to use than charcoal toothpaste as the charcoal is already in the bristles, so you don’t have to spread it onto your teeth before you start brushing.
Cons
- Charcoal toothbrushes are usually made using natural fibres for the bristles which can be more abrasive than regular toothbrushes, and can also harbour more bacteria.
- When used too frequently, activated charcoal has been found to erode the teeth. Especially if there are already issues with the enamel.
- Charcoal toothbrushes, and charcoal toothpaste, are not approved by the American Dental Association.
As you can see, there are some clear pros and cons to the use of charcoal toothbrushes.
However, as they are not approved by the American Dental Association, we would say that they are not better than regular toothbrushes.
Summary
In short, a lot of people use charcoal toothbrushes so generally they are considered to be safe.
However, these toothbrushes actually aren’t approved by the American Dental Association, and the ADA does not consider them to be safe.
This is why a lot of dentists don’t recommend the use of charcoal toothbrushes. Thank you for reading!
He has combined both of these skills to create his first company, Isopharm Limited, which became one of the top learning platforms within the dental industry.
With over 120,000 active users, he has been able to educate others in order to provide better dental care around the world.
With his expertise and work in the field, Andrew has been able to help many dental care professionals succeed in treating their patients.
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