Do You Ever Wonder . . .
About the people who write product warnings? Consider the things they tell us not to swallow:
Okay, on that last one I have a real question: How am I supposed to not swallow for 20 minutes while stuff fizzes out of a plastic tray into my mouth?
The answer, of course, is that I’m not. Package inserts are often more about reducing liability than educating the consumer. Case in point? Printing “may irritate eyes” on a can of pepper spray, and the “warnings” about gum irritation that come with tooth whiteners. If they really wanted to educate consumers, the label would say:
WARNING: This product is likely to contain coal tar, fluoride, aspartame, aluminum, and benzene and has demonstrated acute toxicological effects in rats, including but not limited to labored breathing, bloody urine, infertility and incontinence. (source 1)
Fortunately, there’s an easier, cheaper, and completely natural way to whiten your teeth in less than 3 minutes a day. It’s one of the six tooth care recipes I share in my ebook, DIY Organic Beauty Recipes. And like many truly healthy options, the solution seems almost counter-intuitive. Eat fat to lose fat? Check! Flaxseeds for homemade hair gel? Check! Brush your teeth with something that looks like squid ink for a dazzling, pearly white smile? Surprisingly, that works, too.
Activated Charcoal: The Secret To Naturally White Teeth
Activated charcoal – also called activated carbon – is made by processing charcoal with oxygen and either calcium chloride or zinc chloride. It was used medicinally by both Hippocrates and the ancient Egyptians, and it is still the poison remedy of choice in modern-day emergency rooms. Why? Because it’s highly adsorptive, which in plain English means it attracts substances to its surface like a magnet. Like absorptive substances that work like a sponge, adsorptive materials bind with certain compounds and prevent our bodies from using them.
Fortunately for us, activated charcoal is a bit particular about what it locks onto. It’s not interested in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, inorganic phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc and other compounds you probably want to hang onto (including your tooth enamel). It does, however, happen to like tannins – the compounds found in coffee, tea (even herbal tea), blueberries, wine and spices like cinnamon that stain our teeth. As a bonus, activated charcoal also balances the mouth’s pH and is even considered beneficial enough to be used in some tooth re-mineralization formulas.
So, are you ready to give it a try? Good!
No wait, there is something I forgot to tell you. This is really important so I hope you’re scrunched up to your screen nice and close. Ready? Okay! Folks, this stuff WORKS. When you start noticing children in grocery carts and little old ladies hovering in your vicinity, you don’t need to go check your makeup in the mirror. They just want to see you smile again. Okay? As someone who used to pop in whitening trays every day I was skeptical, but give this stuff a week or two and you’ll be amazed. Okay, moving on!
How To Whiten Teeth Naturally With Activated Charcoal
There is no “right” way to whiten teeth naturally with activated charcoal. Koreans put it in their toothpaste, Crunchy Betty swishes with it, and some people simply brush it on straight. Personally, I prefer the following method:
- Open a capsule of activated charcoal (about 1/8 teaspoon) and pour about half into a cup.
- Wet your toothbrush and dip it in the charcoal, then brush gently. Keep in mind that you are not trying to scrub your enamel, you are simply massaging the surface of your teeth with the activated charcoal so that it can attract tannins like a magnet.
- After brushing, hold it in your mouth for 2-3 minutes to allow it to continue to work.
- Spit and rinse thoroughly, then follow with a second brushing using your tooth powder or natural toothpaste.
- Now look in the mirror and smile. You may see a difference with the first application. If not, give it a few days to a week and I promise you will!
Want More Recipes?
In my 180 page guide, DIY Organic Beauty Recipes, I’ll show you how to boost the whitening power of activated charcoal with a minty-fresh mouthwash. You’ll also discover how ridiculously easy it is to make your own beauty products: Quick yet luxurious gifts for the holiday season, fabulous shampoos, conditioners, body sprays, lotions, deodorants, baby products and more!
* Activated charcoal does bind with iodine and may bind with other vitamins and minerals the body needs, so it is not usually recommended for internal use except when dealing with acute situations such as chemical or food poisoning. Activated charcoal does not work in situations where the material ingested is caustic, such as lye.
About The Author
Heather Dessinger, aka The Mommypotamus, is a wife, blogger and mom to two amazing kiddos, both waterborne at home. She loves all things fermented, talks to sock puppets and dreams of owning her very own flock of backyard chickens. She is the author of two ebooks. Nourished Baby is a simple guide to introducing real food to little ones, and DIY Organic Beauty Recipes is a collection of 50+ beauty and personal care product recipes that really work.
More Information
How to Use Activated Charcoal to Whiten Teeth Naturally Without Making a Mess
Food Poisoning Remedies That Work Fast
Toddler’s Severe Tooth Decay Halted in 5 Days
Whiten Your Teeth Without Dangerous Chemicals
Natural Alternative to Dangerous Baby Teething Gels
Resolving Periodontal Problems with Bone Broth
Coconut Oil Stops Strep Bacteria from Damaging Tooth Enamel
What is the True Cause of Crooked Teeth?
10 Signs Your Dentist is Truly Holistic
Avoiding Root Canals with Diet Alone
Could the Cause of Your Illness Be Right Under Your Nose?
Most Wisdom Tooth Extractions Totally Unnecessary
Good Post and great tip with charcoal. Also Rinsing your teeth with Lemon juice can help to whiten your teeth and help dissolve the free radicals overall!
Supposedly my teeth are discolored because my mom took tetracycline when she was pregnant with me. Will it work on my teeth?
Anyone heard of http://toothsoap.com ??
I believe that is an extrinsic stain from congenital birth. That can’t be restored. I’d give it a shot though.
Sorry, intrinsic stain not extrinsic.
This is so great! I was just thinking about finding a natural way to whiten teeth since I drink black tea every morning. Thanks for the great post!
I am very interested in trying this but have one question. I have a tooth (right in front) that was cracked when I was young but never had a root canal done on it. The root and whatever else is on the inside is dead and has turned dark. I tried to have it bleached but it wouldn’t take the bleach. Do you think using the activated charcoal would help or just make that tooth look darker compared to the other teeth?
No, activated charcoal is not going to rectify the damage. The damage like you’re aware of is caused by the necrotic tooth not a stain. But it should be noted that the necrotic tooth that is darker is a result of deadened, or dried up, blood trapped in the capillaries of the tooth. I think that can be flushed out. Activated characoal will not help that out unless its stained with tannin like the article suggest.
I had an accident and my front tooth was almost lost. They had to do a root canal on it, so the tooth is dead. I have not gotten a cap put on it yet. I was wondering if using AC will turn this dead tooth a diff. color or is it safe to use?
So, I have an entire large can of activated charcoal and perpetually stained teeth, so I thought I would try this. Not unpleasant, though I felt massaging the charcoal around with my finger was more effective than the tooth brush. I can notice a difference! Awesome! That said, I have black charcoal residue stuck in my gum line. That isn’t to assume everyone will have this issue… But to be safe maybe don’t do this before a date or a job interview. I think it should go away, we’ll see what the morning brings. I think I’ll keep it up, being mindful of doing it on a few day at home stretch. 🙂
Anybody have a recipe for making activated charcoal at home? I remember looking online sometime ago for how to make it myself and was disappointed by what I found online as none of it leant itself to my trying it out at home…
i wanted to know if you have porclean crowns can you use this method, i made the mistake of having dental work done before i discoverd your website and nourishing traditions approach. also i have been usoinf artic cod liver liquid for 2years from whole foods had and you mentioned not to get store bought so where to you get your cod liver oil from ?
Lynn, a lot of people in the Traditional Foods, Nourishing Traditions circle get their cod liver oil in fermented form (is said to be the best) from Green Pasture.org. You can get just the fermented CLO or in a mixture with High Vitamin Butter Oil (found by Weston A Price to be the most nutritious form of butter). http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/ButterCodLiverBlend/index.cfm
Would this activated charcoal work in a detox situation? My doctor says I have a fatty liver and to cut back on fats and take 2-400mg vitamin E pills a day. I have no plan to stop my traditional fats or cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil. I believe the problems with my liver stem from the 3 hydrocodone pain pills I take every day with tylenol. I want to find some way to detox my body and see if this helps me. I also want to find some program to get off the pain pills period.
Wendell, have you considered doing a series of liver cleanses? An excellent author on this subject, as well as other health topics, is Andreas Moritz. One of his books is called “The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush.” Except that he promotes a mostly vegan diet (he does approve of butter), which is what worked for him. the book is very educational. I’ve done the flush 5 times and will continue until I see no more stones. There’s a wealth of information on his website. Here’s an article specifically about Fatty Liver Disease and a lack of choline: http://www.ener-chi.com/fatty-liver-disease-choline-provides-a-nutritional-solution-for-a-silent-epidemic/
Here’s his general website: http://www.ener-chi.com
Ok I gotta try it – ordered from Vitacost and we’ll see! Seems backwards to brush your teeth with something black but hey, whatever works and isn’t toxic! Thanks for the great tip.
I did this last week and it worked really well. My teeth were yellow and have some embarrassingly dark stains on them. My boyfriend mentioned something about buying a store bought tooth whitener but I wanted to try a more natural route first. They were noticeably whiter after just one application. It didn’t even make a big mess which I had been worried about. Does anyone know if it’s safe enough to do every day until they are white enough or should I give my teeth a break and only do it once a week?