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Brushing with Charcoal Products

August 14, 2018 By: Dr. Albers0 Comment

Do Charcoal Products Clean and Whiten Teeth?

Recent news articles have highlighted a new trend sweeping the dental world – brushing with charcoal products. An example is an August 13, 2018 article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “The Latest Fad for Whiter Teeth Is to Turn Them Black.” A search on YouTube shows multiple videos of people brushing with charcoal, with one video having over 2.5 million views! As dental providers, though, we are more interested in data than faddish trends. Our question, always, is whether a product performs as claimed in a way that is safe for your teeth.

Understanding Tooth Anatomy

You can think of a tooth as having basically three layers. First is the outside layer, or enamel – the hardest substance in your body. Enamel covers and protects the dentin of the tooth. The dentin layer covers the tooth’s soft tissue, including blood vessels and nerve tissue. Dentists want to keep your tooth enamel strong to help protect the health of your teeth. When you brush with products that have abrasive qualities, such as charcoal, you can wear away the enamel, in extreme cases, down to the dentin.

Brushing With Charcoal Not Shown to be Effective

Last year, the Journal of the American Dental Association (ADA) published a review of available literature on charcoal use and did not find evidence that the products are safe or effective. While noting that more studies need to be done, current information does not conclusively show these products meeting their billing. The study concluded as follows:

Conclusions: The results of this literature review showed insufficient clinical and laboratory data to substantiate the safety and efficacy claims of charcoal and charcoal-based dentifrices. Larger-scale and well-designed studies are needed to establish conclusive evidence.

Practical Implications: Dental clinicians should advise their patients to be cautious when using charcoal and charcoal-based dentifrices with unproven claims of efficacy and safety.

How Do Consumers Make Informed Dental Decisions?

A good place to start with questions is your dental provider’s office. At Mark T. Albers, DDS, our experienced staff stays up-to-date with dental trends and can answer most questions you have. Because there is no good evidence to show charcoal products are safe and effective, and because they can be abrasive to your enamel, we do not recommend their use at this time.

Another good place to get information on dental health and dental products is MouthHealthy.org, the ADA’s consumer website. Here, you can find information on evidence-based effective tooth whitening and other dental issues. And, you can visit the ADA Seal of Acceptance section of the Mouth Healthy website. According to the ADA, “The ADA Seal is backed by science—to have your back. Every product with the Seal has been scientifically evaluated by independent experts to be safe and effective. In fact, to earn the Seal, companies are often asked to meet higher standards than what is required by law. Products that don’t meet these tough guidelines don’t get the Seal, period.”

Conclusion: Stay Away From Charcoal

As noted above, our dental professionals are happy to answer dental related questions. And, if we’re not available, remember this: When in doubt, don’t try it out!

Habits That Aren’t Good For Your Teeth

December 4, 2017 By: Dr. Albers0 Comment

Well, it’s been awhile since our last blog post. October found me back in Nebraska two different weekends, once for a football game (don’t ask), and the second time to celebrate my dad’s 96th birthday. November found us busy with therapy dog events and kid visits. That said, we’re ready to get back in the saddle regarding items of interest for our patients. And, with the holidays here, we thought it would be timely to do a post on unhealthy dental habits.

Unhealthy Dental Habits

A recent article from Business Insider titled “17 ‘Healthy’ Habits That Aren’t Doing You Any Good,” caught our eye because of two dental related “habits.” Habit #5 deals with the benefits (or lack thereof) of drinking lemon water. Habit #14 talks about the detriment of brushing too quickly after meals.

Drinking Lemon Water

Acidic Foods Can Harm Dental Enamel

This habit caught our eye because it applies to us. Carla and I periodically blend up a mixture of lemons, olive oil, and ginger and drink it first thing in the morning. The article notes that per the American Dental Association (ADA), exposure to acidic foods such as lemons can wear down tooth enamel over time. The ADA article titled “Top 9 Foods That Damage Your Teeth” includes the following language:

The truth is that frequent exposures to acidic foods can erode enamel, making teeth more susceptible to decay over time. So even though a squeeze of lemon or lime can turn a simple glass of water into a fun beverage, it’s not always the best choice for your mouth. Citric fruits and juices can also irritate mouth sores. Make sure to drink plenty of plain water.

While this advice regarding acidic foods is correct, it also needs to be placed in context. If you drink an acidic beverage in a short amount of time, you can minimize any negative impact to your teeth. Where dentists tend to get concerned is when people sip acidic (or sugary) beverages over a long period of time. Constantly bathing your teeth in an acidic or sugary beverage over a period of hours is more detrimental to tooth enamel health than a quick drink of lemon water first thing in the morning.

Brushing Right After Eating

Habit # 14 suggests that brushing immediately after eating can be harmful to teeth, and also cites an ADA article titled “7 Bad Brushing Habits to Break in 2017.” The fourth habit to break in this article deals with brushing immediately after eating. According to the ADA:

If you feel the need to clean your teeth after eating or drinking, wait at least 30 minutes before brushing—especially if you have had something acidic like lemons, grapefruit or soda. Drink water or chew sugarless gum with the ADA Seal of Acceptance to help clean your mouth while you are waiting to brush.

The Business Insider article also includes a link to a New York Times article (“Really? Never Brush Your Teeth Immediately After a Meal”) which talks about studies on the effect of brushing too soon after eating. The article cites a study where researchers found an increase in dentin loss when volunteers brushed within 20 minutes of drinking soda. Bottom line, there is evidence to suggest that brushing too soon after eating, especially if the meal contains acidic foods, can possibly affect your teeth in a negative manner.

Conclusions?

Do we want you to avoid eating acidic citrus foods or not brush after eating? No, but we do want you to be aware of unhealthy dental habits, the potential problems they pose, and what you can do to ensure that you are protecting your teeth. If you have any questions about the issues raised here, please feel free to call our office or to ask questions the next time you are in the office.

Should You Brush Your Teeth? Yes, But….

August 17, 2017 By: Dr. Albers0 Comment

Should you brush your teeth?

As a practicing dentist of 30 years, the answer from me is a definite yes. But, that comes with some qualifications in terms of scientific data, brushing that is actually harmful to your teeth, and other things besides brushing that can help you maintain healthy teeth.

I receive regular emails from the American Dental Association (ADA), including one that “compiles news stories from a wide range of sources” to keep dentists up-to-date on what seems to be of interest to the general public. Today’s email included a link to a Reader’s Digest article with this interesting title: “This is the Most Efficient Way to Keep Your Teeth Clean – Without Brushing Them.”

Reader’s Digest Article

I would encourage you to read the article because it contains interesting information about good dental care for you and your family. It is not a surprise that this article claims the best way to keep your teeth healthy is to avoid eating sugar. It explains why this is the case, but also goes further and gives information about foods that can promote healthy teeth.

Good foods include those that are alkaline instead of acidic, which help keep the pH levels in your mouth at a higher level, which is healthier for your teeth. On the flip side, foods that are too acidic can cause lower pH levels, which doesn’t promote good oral health. You can click on the link in the Reader’s Digest article to see a list of “teeth healthy” foods and explanations as to why they are good for your teeth. The list of good foods in this article includes apples, herbal teas or unsweetened fruit juice, tofu, sweet potatoes, cheese, cucumbers, stevia, and carrots.

How To Brush Your Teeth

The other important point of this article touches on proper brushing technique, or how to brush your teeth. Some patients think the harder they brush or floss, the better. What they don’t know, though, is that flossing that is done too vigorously can harm your gums. They also don’t understand that brushing too hard can actually harm tooth enamel, especially when used with some toothpastes. Almost all toothpaste includes some type of abrasive material to help with the cleaning process. Teeth whitening toothpastes tend to include a lot of this material. If you use them (we typically don’t recommend) and brush too hard, it can really cause damage to both tooth enamel and gums.

In our practice, we can also tell that some patients don’t brush their teeth long enough. We encourage our patients to invest in electric tooth brushes as they are timed for the right amount of brushing and they also help avoid problems from brushing too hard because they alert you if too much pressure is being used. There are several good brands on the market, and different staff members use different ones, but we do sell one brand in our office, at our cost, for patients of record. The better your home care, the less likely you will need to see us for fillings or other restorative services. Prevention is key!

Habits That Are Bad For Your Teeth

June 30, 2016 By: Dr. Albers0 Comment

The 6 Worst Habits For Your Teeth

The ADA (American Dental Association) has an informative website, Mouth Healthy, that provides information for consumers. A recent article there identifies the 6 worst habits that can harm your teeth:

Nail biting
brushing too hard
grinding and clenching
chewing ice
constant snacking
using teeth as tools

If you have one or more of these habits, now might be the time to start working on breaking them.

We Recommend Electric Toothbrushes

March 28, 2016 By: Dr. Albers0 Comment

Long time patients know that we are advocates of using electric toothbrushes. Research shows that people using a regular toothbrush will spend less than 40 seconds brushing their teeth, while most electric toothbrushes have timers in the 2 minute range. Electric toothbrushes also guard against over-brushing, the overly vigorous brushing of teeth, as the toothbrushes do all the work. While there are a number of different brands and types of electric toothbrushes, we have recently starting carrying one of the two top brands. If you aren’t already using an electric toothbrush, we highly recommend that you visit with our staff at your next visit about the pros and cons of using them.

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