Brush with caution

Who doesn’t want whiter looking teeth and flash a million dollar smile? While many of us don’t wish to opt for cosmetic dental procedures to achieve it, we are more tempted and likely to pick up toothpastes that claim to whiten the teeth. Of latel, activated charcoal and whitening toothpastes are available not just over-the-counter at chemists but also in supermarkets. And some of us have taken the bait. But here’s something you should know if you’re using them or planning to use them.

An award-winning cosmetic dentist from London, Dr Rhona Eskande, is warning people about the dangers of overusing harsh toothpastes like activated charcoal and whitening ones. Reason being, scrubbing your teeth with them could be eroding the enamel (outer surface layer of the teeth that serves to protect against tooth decay) and causing irreparable damage. One of her patients, a 26-year-old woman wore down her teeth so badly using an over-the-counter whitening toothpaste that she needed veneers (a layer of material placed over a tooth, to improve the aesthetics of a smile and/or protect the tooth’s surface from damage) to repair them. 

EXPERT SPEAK

What a toothpaste contains is an abrasive and your activated charcoal is just that, it will only “adsorp” the impurities in the body, not “absorption” as is mentioned, so it has a small role in cleaning the teeth. If the company selling the product has any research to show it can do more than cleaning the teeth due to the porous nature of activated charcoal, it should show these, not just a random clinical trial with a small pool of patients but a proper multicentre, preferably double blind study or a meta analysis of earlier research, says Dr Pratima Murur, oral surgery and dental implants specialist. She adds, “The question of whether only the toothpaste is causing this erosion, the method of brushing and the use of regular manual vs a motorised toothbrush is what matters, rather than the toothpaste used.”

IT DOESN’T HELP MUCH

Dr Karishma Jaradi, aesthetic dentist — Dentzz Dental Care Centres, says the activated charcoal does takes away the plaque, food particles, and surface stains with it, thus succeeding in whitening teeth. However, owing to the fact that it latches onto grittiness found on the enamels, the mineral hardly manages to alter the colour of teeth, which are stained deeply or are naturally yellowing. Also, in case you have been roughly scrubbing your teeth after the application of activated charcoal, its abrasive properties can majorly damage your pearly whites.

Clinical studies show that aggravated use of abrasive tooth pastes may lead to excessive wear to the enamel and dentine, which are protective layers of teeth. A number of studies have been published stating that, extrinsic tooth stains can be prevented by whitening toothpastes but the effect obtained is not clinically significant. Also,  tooth sensitivity and oral irritation were the most common complications noted, says Dr Sheetal Parab, MDS, consultant prosthodontist and implantologist.

EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN USING THEM

Currently, teeth whitening by using activated charcoal has been a trend that has taken the social media by storm. Dr Jaradi gets at least 50 per cent of cases who have some sort of enamel erosions due to incorrect brushing in order to get whiter. She doesn’t recommend scrubbing teeth with activated charcoal or whitening toothpaste.

“One must ensure they only lightly graze the teeth during the application of the activated charcoal in order to avert any kind of scratching, chipping, or other unwanted dental injuries. In case you have any kind of open wounds, cuts, or scratches avert from performing this procedure,” she cautions. It’s advisable to schedule an appointment with your dental expert prior to using such tooth whitening products.

SUGGESTIONS

Dr Karishma Jaradi shares guidelines to safely upgrading you smile:

• Brushing and regular flossing: The foremost way of ensuring stain-free enamel is to brush your teeth regularly with soft/medium bristles that don’t harm the gums. Similarly, flossing can help eliminating all stains overtime, particularly the ones between your enamels.
   
• Eat your way to white teeth: Include a lot of crunchy vegetables and fruits like carrots, celery and apples in your diet. These being abrasive will rub against the tooth surface without hurting or damaging the enamel. 
   
• Consume dairy: Having a lot of milk and milk-based products will help upsurge pH levels and re-mineralise the teeth enamel, leaving behind a spectacular shine.