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I keep seeing these TikTok videos about how I can whiten my teeth with purple toothpaste and charcoal. Do any of these actually work?
Dina
Dear Dina,
Social media has no shortage of “experts” in just about every topic. That includes advice on how to whiten your teeth. Some of these before-and-after videos can look pretty convincing. You mentioned two of the most popular. A recent study compared these two methods with traditional professional teeth whitening. Here is what the researchers found.
Does purple toothpaste whiten your teeth?
Purple toothpastes and whitening products use a principle you may remember from art class: complementary colors. Purple is opposite yellow on the color wheel, so applying purple pigments can temporarily make yellow tones appear less noticeable.
That can create the appearance of a whiter smile, but it doesn’t necessarily mean your teeth have actually become whiter.
In a 2026 laboratory study published in the Journal of Dentistry, researchers compared a violet toning product with two established bleaching methods: 35% hydrogen peroxide used for in-office whitening and 10% carbamide peroxide used for at-home whitening. The peroxide treatments produced significantly greater whitening than even the temporary violet toning.
Think of purple products as more of a temporary optical effect than a substitute for bleaching.
Does activated charcoal whiten teeth?
Activated charcoal may help remove some surface stains, but research has not shown it to be an effective substitute for conventional teeth whitening.
In the same 2026 study, researchers tested activated charcoal powder against peroxide-based bleaching. The traditional bleaching methods produced significantly better whitening results.
That finding is consistent with earlier research. A 2024 randomized clinical trial involving 56 participants compared activated charcoal powder, charcoal toothpaste, regular fluoride toothpaste, and 10% carbamide peroxide. Participants using carbamide peroxide experienced the greatest whitening effect and reported the highest satisfaction with their results.
Be Careful About the Charcoal
Charcoal products can be abrasive. In the 2026 laboratory study, microscopic examination revealed surface irregularities and grooves in enamel after activated charcoal was used. The same type of damage that you can get from over-the-counter toothpastes because of their abrasives.
This is important because enamel doesn’t grow back after it is worn away. Aggressively scrubbing away surface stains is very different from safely changing the color of a tooth. The abrasives, while giving a temporary a temporary appearance of whitening because of the removal of surface stains, end up making the teeth more susceptible to stains.
What’s the Difference between Removing Stains and Whitening Teeth?
This is where teeth whitening terminology can become confusing.
Your teeth can develop extrinsic stains, which are stains on the outside surface of the enamel. Foods, drinks, tobacco, and other environmental factors, even aging can contribute to these stains. Some toothpastes can make teeth look brighter by polishing away that surface discoloration.
However, teeth can also have intrinsic stains, which involves color within the tooth itself. Peroxide-based bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide can penetrate the tooth and break down colored molecules. In other words, instead of simply scrubbing stains from the surface, bleaching can actually change the color of your natural teeth.
Will Professional Whitening Work on Crowns, Veneers, or Fillings?
One thing to bear in mind is that teeth whitening will only work on natural tooth structure. That means they don’t change the color of crowns, porcelain veneers, dental implants, or tooth-colored fillings. If you have restorations that are visible when you smile, whitening your natural teeth will leave you with a color mismatch.
That does not mean that you can’t whiten your teeth if you have restorations. You would just need to whiten your teeth first and then have your restoration replaced to match your new beautiful color.
Social media can be a fun place to discover beauty trends. But, when a trend involves your tooth enamel, it’s worth looking beyond the before-and-after video.
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