There is a somewhat large gulf between the advice offered by dentists when it comes to the right dental care products and some of the suggestions patients have found via social media or beauty influencers.

Most of them are either ineffective or quite obviously dangerous, but one particular trend that particularly frustrates dentists is the use of activated charcoal in tooth powders and toothpaste.

This is not because activated charcoal has no place in the medical world; it is primarily used as an emergency treatment to stop poisons from being absorbed and to prevent potential overdoses.

However, its use in dental health is far more controversial and most doctors advise against using charcoal-based oral health products for three main reasons.

The first problem is that a lot of charcoal toothpastes do not include fluoride, which is the primary active ingredient that prevents tooth decay and protects teeth. This is bad in itself, but it also accentuates the second biggest issue.

Charcoal toothpastes technically “work” to scrub away plaque, but the way it works is as an abrasive, scrubbing away at tooth layers and leading to a potential risk of weakened teeth and tooth decay.

This in combination with a lack of fluoride can cause teeth to be at greater risk of damage after using charcoal toothpaste than before.

As well as this, the dark powder often creates a contrasting look, which can create a false sense that teeth are whiter after use than they really are.

A final, rarer but no less serious concern is that quite a few people who use activated charcoal products that you ingest, such as charcoal food colouring and toothpastes, are not aware that it can stop certain kinds of medication from being absorbed.

This is a vital part of how it stops overdoses, but it means that people on prescription medication may not be receiving the dose they need.