Can a charcoal toothbrush work?

Charcoal toothbrushes are one of the latest trends in dental care.

No, it's not the charcoal you use when grilling, we're talking about activated charcoal.

Charcoal toothbrushesare designed to whiten teeth, freshen breath, and remove bacteria in ways standard toothbrushes cannot. However, many dentists are reluctant to approve them for a number of reasons.

Recent research suggests that charcoal toothbrushes may be more effective than regular toothbrushes. Read on to learn about the science behind charcoal toothbrushes.

The Science Behind Charcoal Toothbrushes

The bristles of a charcoal toothbrush are infused with activated carbon. When you brush with a charcoal toothbrush, you apply the charcoal directly to your teeth.

The charcoal is a fine powder made by oxidizing coal, olive pits, coconut shells and other materials, says DDS, MSD, board-certified periodontist and restorative dentist Pradeep Adatrow.

This powder is then activated by heating it to high temperatures to make it porous and increase the surface area, according to orthodontist Dr. Ingrid Murra.

What are the benefits of a charcoal toothbrush?

The use of charcoal toothbrushes has received increasing scientific attention in recent years.

Some of these benefits include:

Whiten teeth

A charcoal toothbrush removes stains from your teeth and makes your smile look brighter.

This is thanks to its high absorbency. Activated charcoal combines with acidic ingredients in things like coffee, tea, and wine to remove stains they might leave behind, Adatelo says.

This absorbency also increases the pH in your mouth.

Remove bacteria

Charcoal toothbrushes were found to have antibacterial properties.

In a 2018 study involving 50 patients, researchers instructed people to brush their teeth with charcoal and standard brushing for 1 week.

The researchers found that bacteria on charcoal toothbrushes only decreased after 1 week more than regular toothbrushes. After a week of use, non-charcoal toothbrushes retained nearly twice the amount of bacteria as charcoal toothbrushes.

Fresh breath

If you want to breathe fresh, you need

A recent study found that charcoal toothbrushes do just that. Twenty-five people were instructed to brush their teeth twice a day with nylon and charcoal brushes after meals.

After 6 weeks of use, the charcoal bristles were found to remove more plaque than a regular toothbrush. At the end of the study, the charcoal bristles also wore less than regular toothbrushes.