Charcoal has seemingly overnight become a beauty craze. From hair care to dental floss, you can find activated charcoal just about anywhere. Why is that? More importantly, is it a good ingredient to use and why? Let’s look at charcoal floss specifically.
Simply put, charcoal floss is one of the best ways to take care of your mouth. Even though the thought of putting a black substance like charcoal into your mouth may seem a little scary, it is more effective than other flosses, yet it tastes the exact same.
To find out all about charcoal floss, read on. You can think of this article as charcoal floss 101, the beginners guide to flossing with charcoal.
What Is Charcoal Floss?
Charcoal floss is just like any other type of dental floss in that it is a string that you wedge in between your teeth to remove plaque and food buildup. What makes charcoal floss different from regular dental floss, though, is that it uses activated charcoal as an ingredient, as you probably figured.
You will use charcoal floss just like you would any other dental floss: by wedging the string between your teeth. One note is that typically charcoal dental floss is a bit thicker than other types of floss. This can make it a bit troublesome for those with extremely compact mouths.
Either way, charcoal dental floss is simply dental floss that uses activated charcoal as an ingredient.
The Secret Ingredient: Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is the secret ingredient of many products, including charcoal floss. Before we get ahead of ourselves: no, activated charcoal is not what you use for grilling purposes. Instead, activated charcoal is made when carbon-rich materials are heated to high temperatures. The charcoal is then stripped of absorbed molecules, thus freeing up bonding sites.
As these bonding sites are freed up, the pores are smaller, but there are more holes per molecule. This increases the surface area of activated charcoal. Shockingly, 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal has more surface area than an entire football field.
Because of the molecular structure of activated charcoal, it has a number of great benefits, such as being antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and detoxifying. When products use activated charcoal, they take on these benefits as well.
What Makes Charcoal Floss So Great?
Why do the benefits of activated charcoal matter in dental floss, though? Simply put, charcoal floss is great because it has better cleaning and health benefits than regular dental floss due to its secret ingredient.
More Natural
The first reason that someone might opt for charcoal floss is that it is a more natural alternative to other floss types and ingredients. Activated charcoal is incredibly safe to use, and it is better for the environment than other dental flosses with harmful chemicals.
Stronger Whitening Powers
At the same time, charcoal floss can clean and whiten teeth just the same as regular dental floss, if not better. Activated charcoal is used as a whitening ingredient . Although you won't see intense results overnight, using charcoal floss will help whiten your teeth and remove plaque.
Since activated charcoal is better at pulling impurities and toxins from your mouth, your teeth will get whiter as a whole. If you want to focus on whitening the surface of your teeth, flossing with charcoal is a great way to accomplish this.
Strengthens Immunity
Beyond the regular teeth whitening and cleaning benefits of floss, charcoal floss can also boost your immunity. Many illnesses can be caused whenever bacteria enter through your gum and the inner lining of the blood vessels. Activated charcoal can help remove the bad bacteria and toxins in your gums, benefiting your overall immunity.
More Satisfying
Even though it's a little gross to admit, it is really satisfying to feel and see the food removed from between your teeth with dental floss. Don’t worry, you don't have to admit it, but I know you feel the same way.
Because of the black coloration of charcoal dental floss, it can be more satisfying to use this type of floss. You'll more easily be able to see the plaque, gunk, and food that comes out of your teeth. Yes, this is incredibly gross, but it is also satisfying and may motivate you to floss your teeth more often.
Does Charcoal Floss Turn Your Teeth Black?
Probably the scariest part of dental floss with charcoal is that it is black in appearance. This may cause people to fear that the dental floss will turn their teeth black or that it will taste bad. Luckily, these fears are completely unwarranted.
Even though the dental floss itself is black, you don't have to worry about the dental floss turning your teeth or mouth black. Your mouth will look exactly like it does when you use regular dental floss.
What Does It Taste Like?
Additionally, charcoal floss tastes minty and yummy. Even though you may expect it to taste like dirt or rock, almost all charcoal dental floss is flavored with mint, just like regular dental floss. This makes it tasty, as well as effective, for cleaning your teeth and gum line.
Are There Any Drawbacks To Charcoal Floss?
At this point, we have really only looked at the benefits of charcoal floss. In many ways, the benefits of this floss type outweigh the negatives. Still, like anything else, charcoal floss does come with some drawbacks, although they are not very significant.
Cost
From an economic point of view, charcoal floss is a bit more expensive than other dental floss types. It will be more difficult to find charcoal floss for $0.50. This may be a problem for people who are on extremely tight budgets.
Still, charcoal floss is really affordable, especially since it will last you a long time. Speaking as someone who makes very little money a year, I know what it’s like to be strapped for cash, yet I find paying the extra dollars for charcoal toothpaste worth it. It does not take too much of my money.
More Difficult To Use In Compact Mouths
As I have already mentioned, charcoal dental floss is often thicker than regular or unwaxed dental floss. This can make the floss more difficult to use if you have teeth that are really close together. I am fortunate enough to not have this issue, so I have not experienced this problem myself.
Generally, the thickness of charcoal floss is that of waxed dental floss. If you have no problem using wax dental floss, then you shouldn't have any issues using charcoal floss either.
Is Charcoal Floss Worth It?
With these drawbacks in mind, I still argue that charcoal floss is worth it. It has superior whitening and cleaning powers, making it totally worth the price.
However, charcoal floss may not be worth it if you have compact teeth. After all, there's no point buying dental floss if you can't get it between your teeth in the first place. Other than that, activated charcoal floss is totally worth it.
How To Floss, The Right Way
Whether you use charcoal floss or unwaxed floss, you need to know how to do it the right way. Many people know about floss, but very few actually know how to do it properly. Here's a step by step way to floss:
1. Grab The Floss
Before starting to floss, make sure you are holding it correctly. You should hold the material taut by using your thumbs and index fingers.
2. Hold It Correctly
Before starting to floss, make sure you are holding it correctly. You should hold the material taut by using your thumbs and index fingers.
3. Begin Flossing
Once the dental floss is taut, you can begin to glide the floss up and down, between two teeth. You should rub against both sides of each tooth. It may be helpful to think of creating a slight U shape around the side of every tooth in your mouth.
Make sure not to jab the floss into your gums. Being too rough with your floss can cause you to scratch or bruise them, which is very painful.
4. Curve At The Base
As you get to the base of every tooth and reach the gum line, try to create a C shape with the dental floss. You want the dental floss to go into the space that is between your tooth and gums. Food can easily hide in that area.
5. Move On To Your Other Teeth
Once you have adequately cleaned between 2 teeth, repeat these steps on your other teeth. Using the same piece of dental floss, you should readjust your hands so that a clean section of the floss is used between each tooth. Using a clean section prevents the spread of germs, bacteria, and buildup.
A Complete, Mean Oral Care Routine
Even though charcoal floss is highly powerful, you have to use it in junction with other oral hygiene techniques, or else you won't be getting the full effects. Here is a complete, mean oral care routine to use alongside your charcoal floss:
1. Brush Twice A Day
You should brush your teeth twice a day. Especially make it a point to brush diligently before you go to bed to remove any plaque or buildup from throughout the day. Just like with flossing, brushing your teeth needs to be done correctly.
To brush your teeth correctly, hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to your gumline. Holding this position, move your toothbrush in circular motions. Make sure to cover the front of your teeth, back of your teeth, and the top, flat surface.
Also, make sure to brush your tongue. A lot of people don't realize that plaque can get on your tongue too. Brush your tongue to remove plaque and make your breath smell so much better.
2. Floss Once A Day
Even people who brush their teeth regularly forget to floss. Flossing is just as important as brushing your teeth. Try to floss once a day, preferably at night.
We recommend using charcoal floss for its enhanced detoxification and whitening abilities. Make sure you are using the floss correctly to really get in between your teeth and clean it out completely.
3. Mouthwash
Mouthwash is a great way to clean your mouth, re-mineralize your teeth, and reduce the amount of acid. You should definitely use mouthwash once or twice a day to fully enhance your oral routine.
Especially in young children or older adults who have trouble flossing correctly, mouthwash can be a great option to add alongside your flossing.
4. Consider Whitening
To give your smile a truly radiant look, consider whitening as well. You can either have separate whitening treatments or opt for a whitening toothpaste instead. Just like there is charcoal floss, there is also charcoal toothpaste, and these kinds of toothpaste often have whitening abilities.
If you want the best teeth whitening toothpaste, look for options with carbamide peroxide. This toothpaste ingredient will effectively whiten your teeth without causing intense pain or sensitivity.
You can also schedule a professional tooth bleaching session. Just by searching “teeth whitening near me,” you will have plenty of options to choose from.
5. Watch What You Put Into Your Body
Finally, the last way to take care of your teeth is to monitor what you put into your body. This means limiting your sugary and acidic intake. These foods can erode your enamel, leading to cavities.
Drink a lot of water, too. Water can help flush out the bacteria and food within your teeth, preventing cavities and making your breath smell better.
Conclusion
Despite charcoal floss’ menacing appearance, it is a great product for keeping your teeth healthy and white. Activated charcoal has special properties that make it better at whitening, detoxifying, and immunity improvement. Even though charcoal floss is a bit more expensive than regular floss, it is totally worth it because of the benefits.
