Ever Thought of Using Natural Whitening Toothpaste?

We are all figuring out our new normal and when it comes to working in the dental realm of healthcare I think we all have things to learn.  For myself, I am now at least excited about something that has come from the dreaded year of the pandemic.  One huge thing that happened was the rage of charcoal has taken off. It popped up on TickTock and people started using it everywhere.  It is most definitely possible I am a few years behind the times, but it seems like dental hygiene has really been pushed during the pandemic.  It is honestly been a fun trend to see on social media and the use of charcoal as a tooth whitener has been one of the craziest trends and something that is actually useful too.  So I want to dive into how I got into it.

No joke it was the TickTock trend that my wife found that set me off on my own journey. People would jump in and out of view and show their mouths blackened by charcoal.  It was pretty wild and pretty nasty. People took things way too far, but the trend was that it seemed to work.  There were countless videos showing blackened smiles and what was fun to see was the aftermath.  The Instagram posts and before and after views from one to two months were actually shocking.  It seemed that normal people were actually getting their teeth really white by blackening them down with charcoal every day.  It was a wild sight and in all honesty, I didn't believe this was a possibility and was just paid to advertise.  So it finally won me over.

The cost was just about the same and I searched a lot of different places to find a good charcoal toothpaste for me.   I wanted one that still protected my teeth.  It looked like a basic draw between the brands and I was not really sure if  I was going to buy this as a long-term solution. My honest worry was that this was simply a gimmick and was not going to protect my teeth.  That means that I was truly afraid to purchase this and use it on a regular basis. It looked like it was successful after months of use, but having a better smile for the cost of bad teeth is simply not worth it to me. The risk was still there so I decided to only brush half the time with it. 

I think safe is better than sorry so it only got my nighttime brush.  So it has been a process for me and each morning I brush my teeth with my normal toothpaste and then at night I get to see my mouth go black.  It really is fun, but be careful where you spit the toothpaste. It is black and it seems to stain things if not washed quickly. This is a big deal if you have kids.  Make sure to not let them ruin your home by brushing their teeth. It is an easy way to get them to brush due to the fun blackness that it causes, but wow can it be a mess. So take that with a grain of salt. I hope you get to use this and see if it works for you as it did for me. 

Don't let your daily lunch harm your mouth

Things are rapidly changing in 2021.  Most people are working from home and taking more zoom calls than ever before.  If it is not directly important underlying psychology is always that judging how you look and how you view others.  This year a focus has been brought to your teeth because it has been a hyperfocused topic in 2021.  The mask mandates that have been brought to the country have somehow made people focus on their breath and teeth much more than normal.  The reality is that many of us have noticed that our dental health is something that we need to focus on even more.  The average person simply works on brushing their teeth more and maybe adding in some whitening products.  But it is not the thing that may be hurting or helping your teeth the most.  It may actually come down to what you are eating and drinking that are impacting your body and dental health the most over time.  What you are eating every day is important and your daily lunch could really be hurting or helping you. 

Let's jump into the different foods that can be hurting or helping you. These foods are usually part of our daily routines and that is not entirely a bad thing.  The goal may simply be to cut down on some of these foods to keep our teeth brighter longer. The shocking food that may be leaving behind that yellowish huge is berries.  Indeed some of our favorite breakfast additions that we think are healthy can be leaving a bad look and feel in your mouth.  The blueberry or blackberries many of us add to our cereal in the morning may be staining your teeth and causing the yellowing effects that can lead to other tooth decay issues over time.  This is something that many of us do every single day and maybe we should cut back a little on the staining berries that we like to eat. I know that may seem crazy to cut back on but it's worth it. 

Did you know tomatoes can be an issue?  This is actually a fruit and not a vegetable and we use it in tons of foods.  We have sauces that are made of this and are found in most pizzas.  It is all throughout the food world from soups, tacos, to most sandwiches.  It is an item to keep an eye on because it can cause your teeth to yellow as well. This is not the only food that can stain teeth, but it is one to keep on your radar for possible tooth yellowing issues. 

Red wine can be an issue and it is important to think about the quantity you drink.  We can easily see this in a mirror of most red wines that may end up really causing consistent yellowing of teeth. Since we are told the older we get that a glass of red wine is good for us each day it is something to know that it may be harming your teeth. In order to fight the yellowing issues that may occur it is good to see your dentist twice a year for a cleaning.  They can help clean those yellowing stains and give advice on whitening products to help in between. Best of luck as you go through 2021 and try and stay healthy.