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Teeth whitening is a multi-billion dollar industry, but unfortunately many teeth whitening treatments contain harsh chemicals that can leave teeth feeling sensitive for a long time. I had sensitive teeth for years after my high school attempts at teeth whitening (at home and at the dentist office).
Once I became pregnant with our first child, I was careful to avoid all chemicals, including those normally used to whiten teeth. I wanted to find natural ways to whiten my teeth that not only worked well, but were also safe. Since chemicals can easily absorb through the sensitive skin in the mouth, I wanted to only use options that were safe enough to eat.
Of course, none of these things are a replacement for normal dental care and I asked my dentist before using these (you should too!). I’ve found that these methods work great along side my normal brushing and flossing routine.
1. Charcoal
My first and favorite teeth whitening remedy is also the most controversial: Activated Charcoal.
This was recommended to me by a holistic dentist years ago and though I was skeptical at first, I gave it a try and have been impressed with the results over time.
Yes, it looks terrifying while you are doing it and you will absolutely think for a minute that you were duped by a blogger into permanently staining your teeth. Then, you’ll rinse your mouth and brush as usual and notice that your teeth are not only white again, but possibly whiter.
This works because activated charcoal is a highly absorbent porous substance that binds to things like tannins that stain teeth and leave them yellow or brown. It might also have other benefits for the mouth as well:
Further research I’ve done on this showed that activated charcoal can actually be helpful in changing the pH and health of the mouth, and as such is effective in avoiding cavities and killing the bad bacteria present in tooth decay and gingivitis. For this reason, I now suggest and use it as part of my remineralizing protocol for teeth, along with my remineralizing toothpaste.
When I first wrote about this in 2012, it was controversial and I actually got hate mail (really) for trying to convince people to do something that was obviously going to stain their teeth. These days, I see pictures of it floating around Pinterest, so it seems to have gained a little acceptance.
Some important things I’ve discovered over the years:
- Keep a microfiber cloth on hand to make cleanup easy as it can make a mess on counters and sinks (though it will come out of them as well)
- I simply dip my toothbrush into some powdered charcoal that I keep in a small jar on my counter and brush as normal. Another way that will produce results more quickly is to mix a teaspoon of charcoal powder into some water and swish with it for a few minutes. Then, spit the water and leave the remaining charcoal in the mouth for a few minutes so that it has time to bind to stains.
- It is super important to use activated charcoal from a food/medical grade source. This is not the same as charcoal from your BBQ grill…do not use that.
- I did this every day for a week when I started and now maintain by using it once a week or so.
- I felt comfortable brushing with charcoal during pregnancy since oral health is even more important then, and it is spit out and not consumed. I checked with my midwife first (and you should too if pregnant).
Full tutorial and video are here. Now I just use my Wellnesse Charcoal Toothpaste!
p.s. If you want to take it up a notch, I’ve since discovered this teeth whitening system that uses activated charcoal and LED light for maximum whitening and love the results. It’s also less messy than the above… bonus!
2. Oil Pulling
Another oddly controversial teeth whitener: oil pulling.
The basic concept here is swishing oil (like sesame or coconut) in the mouth for 20 minutes to help remove plaque and bacteria from the mouth. Coconut oil has been proven effective against the streptococcus mutans bacteria that contributes to cavities and gum disease.
Since beginning oil pulling on a regular basis, I’ve noticed that my teeth are smooth and shiny and the dental assistants have commented that I had very little plaque at recent cleanings.
What to do: Swish with a small amount of coconut oil for 20 minutes a day, preferably first thing in the morning before eating. I make single use size coconut oil pulling chews to make this even easier and do this while showering.
Here is the oil pulling tutorial and this post specifically addresses using coconut oil.
3. Whitening Toothpaste
Last year, I combined a few of my favorite teeth whitening ingredients to make a homemade whitening toothpaste. It only contains:
- Pure Calcium Carbonate Powder
- Non-GMO Xylitol Powder
- MCT oil (I’ve also used this less expensive one with good results) or coconut oil
This combines natural calcium (a mineral that teeth need) with Xylitol, which is helpful for oral health, and MCT or coconut oil for a remineralizing, bacteria fighting whitening toothpaste.
4. Turmeric
Another counter-intuitive remedy that actually works. Turmeric is known for staining things yellow (including cloth, skin and other surfaces) and it has even been used as a dye for cloth in the past. It isn’t the first thing you’d think of for whitening teeth, but it works surprisingly well.
Mommypotamus explains why and provides a tutorial here.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Steven Lin, who is a Board accredited dentist trained at the University of Sydney. With a background in biomedical science, he is a passionate whole-health advocate, focusing on the link between nutrition and dental health. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor or dentist.
Ever whitened your teeth? Naturally or not so much? Did it work?
I’m gonna try the activated charcoal. But I am weary since, as a nurse, we use it at the hospital for poison ingestion and overdose. Never even heard of using it for anything other than that!
This will be interesting!
That is because it detoxes 🙂 My doctor just put me on it for detoxing. I used it for my teeth and it works great.
Hi! so i try the tumeric, i have natural white teeth but hey! never is to white! and that was a total mistake, the tumeric leave my teeth yellow and i try to clean the stain with natural toothpaste, tooth powder, baking soda and comercial toothpaste and the stain is still there, my gums bleed for my trying to clean the stain, so sucks! don’t try the tumeric! the toothbrush will be yellow forever and so will your theet. I’ll have to make an appointment with the dentist to see what can i do.
Don’t make the same mistake! the tumeric doesn’t work at all!
Turmeric does not stain teeth, first and foremost! Clothing, countertops, and toothbrushes is a different story most definitely. This being said, a toothbrush costs between 4 and 8 quarters and is a small sacrifice in the name of oral health.
I own several natural health superfood companies and successfully use turmeric in a wide range of products. A personal consequence that I’ve paid on the road to building a successful business and bootstrapping it completely with my own funds is that my dental health has been neglected over the last few years. Not the smartest thing I know but as the saying goes, “it costs money to make money”!
A few months ago while vending at my local farmer’s market a random client mentioned to me how they chewed turmeric root whenever they had a flare-up in their mouth. Coincidentally I had been really struggling with two problematic teeth during this same time, one on each side. I was experiencing regular pain as it was quite clear the teeth had decayed. I was literally a few days away from having to shell out a few hundred dollars at the dentist to give me some relief from the excruciating pain I was encountering.
That night I started brushing my teeth with turmeric powder, doing this after brushing with my normal toothpaste. I continued this routine over the next couple days. All I can say is that within this time the tooth pain completely went away. Not gradually but all at once! Since then I brush with turmeric daily and although I still have a couple teeth that are in not so good shape, I have not had one toothache. Mind you I would get tooth flare-ups every few weeks prior to this.
I cannot say enough about turmeric for oral health and overall health. The healthy benefits are numerous, too long to list in fact. I implore all uninformed readers to search on the benefits of turmeric and you will be stunned. We are in the process of launching our new line of superfood toothpaste which will feature turmeric as a main ingredient.
When assessing the superfood turmeric don’t give credence to negative comments, but rather rely upon the dearth of information and positive stories that exist. Turmeric has been used for thousands of years by Asians as a spice for food as well as a medicine for health; both internally and externally. Cheers!
Brushing with charcoal
OMG!!! I am so amazed to see this article about brushing with charcoal. I was born in Guyana and raised there. Going back to almost thirty years ago, I remember charcoal is something we all used to use for whitening our teeth
Thanks for all the great info 🙂
Does anyone know if activated charcoal and the remineralizing toothpaste can be used with braces?
Thanks, Marina
These are interesting methods, thanks for sharing
Has anyone tried or thought of using a very small amount of activated charcoal combined with oil pulling? Seems to me it would aid in oral health as it is one of it’s uses. Plus it may help whiten your teeth in a less abrasive way than brushing but not totally eliminate the recommended brushing routine. I wouldn’t use charcoal every day. Some professional help or experimentation would be needed or words from the wise that may have already tried this. What does anyone think?
I tried the charcoal method this morning and I think my teeth look whiter but will keep at it to give it a fair test. But NOTE: I used my neti pot afterward and lots of black stuff came out of my nose! Kinda’ creepy.
It is most likely that you breathed some of the charcoal in, hence it coming out after using your Neti pot. x
Well, sorry to be the naysayer, but most of these things have not worked for me. The have made my staining worse. My teeth and lips are SUPER prone to picking up stain. I have to go in between cleanings just to get some scrubbed off. My ND thinks it may be related to pH of oral cavity and we are trying some treatments to work on this.
Look into Colloidal Silver.
I LOVE Colloidal Silver. There are so many uses for it. I keep it in my house in both liquid and gel form. I have a list of testimonials of how well this works so I share with everyone I meet. I want everyone to he happy and healthy.
I tried oil pulling for a bit but was worried about doing it with all my dental work. Do you know if it’s OK to do these (and the natural toothpaste) with crowns, bridges and fillings? Will the charcoal remove the cement? I’m also wondering if there’s a way to make the natural toothpaste kidfriendly. My daughter is used to Tom’s strawberry toothpaste so I’d like to make the natural paste a similar flavor (and use without xylitol). Thank you for your help, I’m SO glad I came across your website!
Has anyone tried using bone meal powder in homemade toothpaste/powder?