I’m a sucker for online businesses that conveniently mail you fun, little luxury products once a month or every quarter. Ipsy, BirchBox and ScentBird are a few of my favorite companies that offer monthly subscriptions for about $15. At the insistence of a friend that raved about the products she received from the company Fab, Fit, Fun, I joined. With an active family and me recently going back to work, there is little free time to spend on myself, so these mail delivery boxes have become my little pick-me-up treats. Plus, who doesn’t love beauty supplies that magically show up on their doorstep every so often?

A few months ago, I received a charcoal whitening kit in my Fab, Fit, Fun box. Being a dentist’s wife, I am all about teeth and products to keep them looking and feeling healthy. This product intrigued me. I’ve seen many advertisements on social media for charcoal whitening and have been interested in it. So, when a charcoal whitening kit was mailed to me without any effort on my part, I knew I needed to at least give it a try.

I talked with my husband about his thoughts on this method of tooth whitening and he listed his concerns: possible tooth abrasion, safety, cost, etc. In the end, he said to try it. If anything were to go wrong, I know the guy who could fix it. Wink. Wink.

My friend, who had tried the charcoal whitening kit already, forewarned me about it being a mess, so I took it along with me when my daughter and I stayed overnight at a hotel for a volleyball tournament. Yes, I’m THAT evil person. Instead of messing up my own bathroom sink, I’ll mess up the hotel’s sink. To be perfectly fair, I did clean it all up once I was done.

The charcoal powder is EXTREMELY FINE. The directions said to sprinkle the powder on a dampened toothbrush. I seemed to get more sprinkled all over the sink than I did on my toothbrush, so I adjusted my tactic. I tapped off the excess water from my brush and dipped the bristles into the powder. Then I gently began to brush my teeth.

If you ever try charcoal whitening, this next part is the funny part. Be ready to laugh! The result while brushing with the charcoal powder is hilarious. I was laughing so hard in the hotel bathroom, my daughter came in to make sure I was ok. The ultra fine powder was everywhere – on the sink, the counter, up my nose, in my hair, on my face, on the floor. We both had a good laugh about it. Try laughing while brushing your teeth – it is messy.

I didn’t want to brush too aggressively, especially since Matt had said he was worried about possible abrasion. I didn’t feel that the charcoal powder was gritty. I had expected it to feel like sand in my mouth, but it is so fine that it isn’t gritty at all. There wasn’t a taste to the charcoal powder either, which was unexpected.

Two minutes with black teeth seems to last forever. At last, the time was up and I could spit and rinse. Because I didn’t have a real minty-fresh feeling in my mouth, I brushed my teeth quickly with my regular toothpaste after using the charcoal powder. The result: I didn’t notice a huge difference, although going from black to white teeth did seem like a HUGE change.

Clean up was easy. I did make a much bigger mess than I had expected. That powder gets everywhere! It was all over my face, all over the sink and the counter, even the floor. A damp cloth was all I needed to wipe everything down. The powder didn’t stain anything.

I continued to use the charcoal powder for about a month, brushing twice daily as recommended by the manufacturer. I never experienced any sensitivity while using the charcoal powder. I also didn’t experience any shade change on my teeth. I liked the organic feel to the powder and the fact I could easily pronounce all the ingredients in the powder… Activated Charcoal (made from Raw Coconut Shell), Natural Calcium Bentonite Clay and Organic Mint Extract.

All in all, I was glad I tried the charcoal powder. It had intrigued me and I think it would have always fallen into my “Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda” category if I hadn’t given it a try. Would I recommend it? Sure. Just because I didn’t notice a change in my tooth shade, doesn’t mean the next person won’t. It was fun. It’s something different. It’s a fad. I’ll stick with my tried and true professional whitening kit.

Before beginning a whitening regimen, please consult with your dentist. He or she can help you make the best choice on which whitening products are best for you based on credible research and facts. Make the most of your whitening experience and only use products that are proven to give you safe, effective results.

Written and submitted by Stephanie Jugovich, Staff Member at Pike Lake Dental Center