Monday Mix-up - Natural teeth whiteners

We all go to great lengths to whiten our teeth. If it's not just the usual whitening toothpaste we're buying, then we're actually buying special teeth whitening kits that can be used at home or we're off the dentist to get them bleached or, in extreme cases, capped.

It's true, bad looking teeth can totally put you off. If I see a mouth full of bad looking teeth I am a little grossed out to be honest. My thought is that, if they don't look after their teeth, imagine how the rest of them is! And let's not forget about halitosis... My absolute WORST.

I'm talking specifically about brown, chipped, unhealthy looking teeth. A person can't help if they are born with too many teeth, or teeth growing in places they shouldn't be, but a person can usually help it if their teeth are white and clean and healthy.

I'm not a great believer in dentists and all the conventional dental care stuff that we are brainwashed into believing from primary school. I blogged about that a while ago. It baffles me that all of the stuff that we are supposed to be putting into our mouths to clean our teeth, has warnings all over them about how they shouldn't be swallowed. They instruct you on how to contact the poison control centre in case you swallow any of the products. Am I the only person who finds that a little disconcerting?

Let's think about this logically, you are supposed to keep teeth whitener in your mouth for anywhere from 5 - 20 minutes... How do you NOT swallow any of it?!

The answer, of course, is that you do! It's unavoidable. Package inserts are often more about reducing the company's liability than actually keeping you safe. It's the same reason they put “may irritate eyes” on a can of pepper spray... uh.... DUH! And why they have “warnings” about gum irritation if you use tooth whiteners. If they were really concerned with their consumer's health and wanted them to be educated, 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 laboured breathing, bloody urine, infertility and incontinence.

I kid you not, that stuff is true. Still think having white teeth is worth it?

Luckily there are natural options! The first option is to try oil-pulling, which I do on a daily basis and have blogged about before. Read all about it here. The second option is going to sound weird but it's kind of the same as, "you need to eat fat to lose fat."

The secret to naturally white teeth is activated charcoal... Yes, you need to brush your teeth with black stuff to get them pearly white;)

Activated charcoal 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's still the poison remedy of choice in emergency rooms today. The reason is because it’s extremely adsorptive, which in plain english means it attracts substances to its surface like a magnet. ABsorptive substances work like a sponge but ADsorptive materials bind with certain compounds and prevent our bodies from using them.

Fortunately, activated charcoal is a bit particular about what it attaches itself too. 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.

It's very easy to find. Dischem sells their own brand but loads of other brands have it as well. It can be bought in powder form or capsules or even tablets. Ideally you want the capsules or powder.

It's even easier to use:

• Open a capsule of activated charcoal (about 1/8 teaspoon) and pour about half into a bowl
• Wet your toothbrush and dip it in the charcoal, then brush gently. Note 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 regular tooth powder/paste
• Now look in the mirror and smile:)

You may see a difference with the first application, especially if your teeth are noticeably stained. If not, give it a few days to a week and you'll definitely see it! The advantage of using activated charcoal is that, if you swallow it, it's not, in any way, bad for you! In fact, I used to take the capsules often because of my IBS. It's not an ideal solution to IBS, but any time I ate something that I knew would affect me badly, I'd take a charcoal tablet and it would simply get all of the disagreeable food out of my system for me. The problem is I ended up suffering from malnutrition and a really bad immune system because I was relying on the charcoal instead of trying to use food to cure my IBS. It's not something I'd recommend taking on a daily basis for that reason alone, but it's definitely NOT going to harm you.

If you can get your head around trying something new, instead of the usual chemical teeth whiteners, give it a bash. You really have nothing to lose!