The unexpected ingredients that will give you whiter teeth

Thanks to Hollywood A-listers forever flashing their pearly whites, everyone is out to achieve whiter teeth and the perfect gleaming smile to match. And there are many ways to achieve a whiter shade, from professional services to toothpastes and at-home whitening treatments, and even gum you can pick up at the petrol station.

But we’ve recently seen an emerging trend in teeth whitening and stain removal that involves some very, very unexpected ingredients, including activated charcoal and purple toner.

While we are no strangers to the benefits of activated charcoal for our skin, it seems it is the ingredient that just keeps on giving. We spoke to Dr. Emery of Sugar Fix Dental Loft to find out exactly how activated charcoal whitens your teeth, and it turns out it has to do with its attraction to a group of compounds known as tannins. Dr. Emery explains that tannins can be found in common stain-inducing items like wine or coffee, and activated charcoal is attracted to, and therefore can help remove, these tannins. When activated charcoal is used long term, “the natural adhesive qualities bind with surface-staining culprits like coffee, wine and plaque and remove them from your teeth for good when you spit it out,” Dr. Emery says.

So while activated charcoal may sound a little ridiculous to have in your dental hygiene products (and seem a little scary to be scrubbing your teeth with a soot-black solution), the unconventional ingredient actually has its benefits when it comes to stain removal and teeth whitening.

If you’re game enough to give activated charcoal toothpastes, toothbrushes and other dental products a try, here are our picks that’ll help you achieve whiter teeth in no time:

Keeko Oil Binchotan Charcoal Toothbrush: This toothbrush has activated charcoal blended into each individual bristle. This is intended to stop bacteria from sticking to your toothbrush. Less bacteria on your toothbrush means less bacteria in your mouth! 

White Glo Charcoal Deep Stain Removing Toothpaste: This new toothpaste is formulated using highly absorbent activated charcoal. The activated charcoal in the formula helps whiten enamel and penetrate and draw out stains and discolouration, leaving you with whiter, less stained teeth! 

Warpaint Charcoal Tooth Polish: The least traditional of the three formulas requires you to dip your wet toothbrush into the powder and brush for two minutes. The powder is designed to whiten and polish teeth, as well as strengthen gums and remove toxins from your mouth. 

The other wacky ingredient that’s started to make waves for its ability to whiten teeth is purple toothpaste. If you’re a blonde (natural or otherwise), you may be familiar with purple toner and its benefits for keeping your hair colour fresh, and purple toothpaste works in a similar to keep teeth a bright shade of white. Just like purple colouring is intended to zap yellow tones and brassiness from your hair, it is essentially doing the same for your teeth by removing stains and colour correcting yellowness. As far as we can find, there is only one purple toothpaste on the market from dental brand PopWhite, and it’s only available in the US. However people have been raving about its success, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on when it is set to hit Aussie shores.

For more ways to get whiter teeth, try one of these techniques.

Image credit: supplied; Getty; @popwhitesmile