Dangers of Using Charcoal Toothpaste - Trish's treasure trove of tantalizing topics

Having been fortunate enough to catch Dr. Oz at 2:00 pm the other day, I learned of a new tooth whitening method that according to Dr. Oz is becoming all the rage on the internet.

To my horror, he had a guest on that was suggesting people use a charcoal powder to brush their teeth with and all I could think of was … the dangers of using charcoal toothpaste.

Why am I saying this?

First off, charcoal is toxic … and, secondly … given my experience with a “NEW” Teeth Whitening product is … well … some years ago now, when Pearl Drops was first introduced as a great way to whiten our teeth, I feel for their commercials. Wanting to present my smile with the whitest teeth possible, I was among the first users of this new toothpaste … or, rather tooth polish.

Before using Pearl Drops my dentist commented on how strong the enamel was on my teeth. It was so strong that he needs to use a diamond bit to repair a cavity … which, he explained, is a good thing.

However, after using Pearl Drops daily for about two months, and returning to the dentist, he asked me what the heck I was doing to my teeth lately. He said he was shocked at the damage that has been done to the enamel on my teeth.

When I informed him that I was using Pearl Drops he told me that I might as well be using sandpaper on my teeth as use that stuff. A layer of tooth enamel was now from on my teeth. Needless to say, he no longer needed to use a diamond bit to drill my teeth.

My dentist went on to explain that even baking soda which had been touted for years as a great replacement for toothpaste should never be used to brush my teeth with either. Anything with grit in it will only work to damage the enamel on anyone’s teeth.

This seems to be reasonable advice, given that at this same time, cleansers were no longer being recommended for use when cleaning bathtubs. It was found to be scratching off the bathtub enamel. That’s when Vim came out with a polish … but that too has grit, and over time will scratch off enamel too.

The dentist even suggested that I stop chewing gum that advertised their product as “whitens you teeth as you chew” as they too have grit in them.

Wow! And to think I used to believe all advertising. Grownups don’t lie, do they? A business would be shut down for false advertising, right? Well, those were my thoughts as a kid. But not anymore!

How to Brush Your Teeth to Reduce Gum Disease

I don’t know about you, but having healthy teeth is very important to me. At a young age, having had a father and one sister with false teeth, for me, they both “drove home” the importance of my keeping my own teeth.

Just so that you understand as to HOW important keeping my teeth has become to me; when a teenager and getting my first job, I spent my income on making sure my teeth were repaired when necessary and that pulling my teeth was an absolute last resort.

Clothing and makeup … well, those things had to wait. For me, healthy teeth were more important.

Now being over 50 years of age, I have only (thankfully!) lost 3 teeth. Two of those teeth were pulled by a dentist in Toronto whose belief back then, sadly, was that when a tooth has a cavity in it, you pull it. The other tooth was lost more recently when it was discovered that due to the large (yes metal!) filling in the tooth, I had cracked it in half … and that fact was only discovered AFTER the root canal work had been done.

Suffice it to say that if you truly want to keep your pearly whites for the rest of your life, then you better learn to brush your teeth properly so you don’t suffer shrinking gums … and learn to eat right!

To Ensure You Keep Your Teeth Use a Stimulator Daily

Normally, I walk away from having watched an episode on Dr. Oz, and I have learned something valuable. This time I was horrified that he did not bring up the possibility of this powder scratching the enamel on your teeth.

Your health is yours to protect. In today’s society, you must be prepared to do your own due diligence in searching out and learning of all possible aspects of any procedure and/or product that you want to try.

What I have learned to do is … wait for others to try something new … learn from their results, and only then try it IF it proven safe. Many times the new product is three years old before I actually try it for the first time. And many times it has been improved at least once since being introduced. So … what’s that telling you … right?

The following are other supplements and procedures that I have reviewed here:

I do hope you’ve found this post helpful and that you will share it with your friends.

Would love to hear anything you have to say about this in a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by.