Free Essay Example on Uses of Charcoal

Charcoal just from the word charred involves partially burnt plants. The field of medicine revolves around natural occurring herbs. There are chemical compounds found in both biotic and abiotic organisms. In the past, the lifespan of people is believed to have been large. As civilization took place, the lifespan decreased. Civilization brought about the processing of materials from the original form to another form. It tries to bring things that are considered inedible and unhygienic into use. As a result, alterations from the original form took place. Now, medicine that was once taken in the form of herbs and plant roots are confined into a capsule. Although medicine is taken due to different reasons as per the region of ailment, there are medicinal compounds that act specifically to bring norm to deviations in the normal functioning of a body process (Greenwall and Greenwall 697). As evolution took place, people valued beauty. The form of beauty varies from one person to another, depending on the originality, genes, and environment. Before the age of social media, natural beauty regardless of the formations that occur due to the environment was important. The occurrence of social media has brought an influence to the whole world that every girl and boy wants to look like a socialite or a celebrity. These celebrities possess oral hygiene; that is, white teeth and good smelling mouth. Companies manufacturing toothpaste assure their products, having the capability of providing these qualities. It is said that old is gold; because of this, some people are considering using old ways to whiten their teeth. Therefore, this paper presents some of the reasons why charcoal is used for oral hygiene and specifically, teeth whitening.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

For a product to be commercially viable, there are starts that it must meet. The production of toothpaste is as a result of medical practitioners and chemical analysts coming together to share knowledge and thus trying to solve an issue in the world. In dentistry, conservation of teeth and oral health is encouraged. To attain this, there are substances needed. Such substances include toothpaste.

Toothpaste contains two active ingredients; sodium fluoride and triclosan (Greenwall and Greenwall 697). These two only account for almost 3%. 90% of toothpaste is water and abrasive (silica gel). The composition of toothpaste is almost similar to that of ch/arcoal except for the active ingredients. Charcoal contains organic compounds, minerals, and water. Although the percentage of the active ingredient of toothpaste found in charcoal is close to zero, some substitutes do almost the same work, and this shows that it is possible for charcoal to carry out the same work as toothpaste.

Mechanical energy is also useful in removing stains. Mechanical energy is increased by increased friction. The coarser the substance, the more energy produces. Charcoal is a coarse substance that can eliminate the occurrence of stains on teeth (da Silva and Walmsley 397). One example that proves this phenomenon is during the process of washing hands using sandy soil.

When a person does a greasy job, water cannot eradicate the dirt that has accumulated on his or her hand. When water is poured on the hand, it flows like a river and never comes into contact with the hand since there is a layer of grease. Grease makes water float above it. Abrasion becomes a useful process to remove it (da Silva and Walmsley 397). Sand scrubs off the dirt plus grease from the hand by use of mechanical energy, leaving a clean hand. According to this phenomenon, when the dirt is removed, from the teeth leaves the enamel purely. Naturally, the enamel is white; thus, the resultant teeth are whitened.

It is believed that during abrasion, the teeth are whitened, but there are negative effects brought about by the process. Abrasion removes traces of enamel. Continuous use of this methodology of teeth whitening will result in roughening of the teeth (Miehlich et al., 372). An extreme case is when cavities and shrinking of the teeth occurs, but this also depends on the energy used. Even though there are side effects, the objective is accomplished. Whitening of teeth is hence facilitated by charcoal.

According to Brooks, Bashirelahi, and Reynolds (662), Psychology is one of the fundamental units of medicine. Even though teeth-coloring is not a disease, some people hate it until it develops into a complex. A complex is a deviation from the norm, thus viewed as an ailment. The color of charcoal is as a result of abundant carbon atoms (Brooks, Bashirelahi and Reynolds 662). The dark black nature is the opposite of the desired color of the teeth. When charcoal is applied to the teeth, the whole mouth assimilates the black color.

When a person is brushing his or her teeth with charcoal while looking at the mirror, there will be minor traces of white color of the teeth as charcoal will be dominant. When rinsing is done, the teeth become white (Brooks, Bashirelahi and Reynolds 662). This transformation makes the mind think that the teeth are whiter than previously. The described phenomenon is psychological and brings a sense of satisfaction.

Charcoal works through adsorption rather than absorption (Brooks, Bashirelahi, and Reynolds 662). In adsorption, charcoal soaks up chemicals by other substances, thus binding elements to a surface. This process contributes to stronger enamel as binding occurs at the surface. The materials that do not bind together are suspended and drop down as particles (Lee et al., 17). When rinsing is done, the materials are washed. These materials forming suspension might be the ones causing coloring of the teeth. Washing away of such materials would result in whiter teeth.

Salty water has effects of the teeth. Discoloration of the teeth is brought about by fluoride ions. When human beings eat food and take drinks, accumulation of particles occurs at the side and between teeth. These areas are the most affected by the growth of bacteria, which results in tooth decay. Application of charcoal at such zones promotes abrasion and elimination of the particles (Brooks, Bashirelahi and Reynolds 662). Also, the coarse nature penetrates slightly into the gums that are in contact with the teeth, and hence, proper cleaning takes place. This process ensures that teeth are not only whitened at their tips but also areas close to the gums.

According to Brooks, Bashirelahi, and Reynolds (663), another way charcoal causes whitening of teeth is through possession of odor absorption property and also kills bacteria (Streptococcus mutans). The provision of an alkaline medium enhances this property. Streptococcus mutans thrives in an acidic medium, and it metabolizes on sugar resulting in cavities and tooth decay.

Bad odor is due to the existence of germs and pathogens in addition to the presence of food traces in the mouth. The existence of these materials in the mouth can cause a change of color of the teeth. Bacteria should not be left to grow in the mouth since its growth leads to alteration to the normal occurrence of the teeth. It is believed that charcoal can kill bacteria hence reduces bacterial contamination. As a result, there will be no bacterial growth proving that it promotes white teeth.

Charcoal is formed from partial burning of plants. For a plant to survive just like any other living organism, it needs to absorb nutrients. These nutrients travel from the roots to the rest of the parts to enable growth. Charcoal also contains these minerals and nutrients which make the teeth stronger. It contributes to the sustainability of enamel, which is the white coloring matter of the teeth. Supporting the structure of enamel means that whitening of the teeth is promoted.

In conclusion, it is now clear that charcoal has benefits; thus, its consideration as an alternative toothpaste should be looked at keenly. Charcoal not only whitens the teeth but also brings a good odor to the mouth. Charcoal is naturally occurring and thus does not need processing. It readily occurs in the environment; thereby, labor is reduced. There is a processed form of charcoal that works in the same manner as charcoal. It has only undergone an upgrade to suit the cause of oral hygiene. Such forms of charcoal are important since it uses the principle of charcoal to act. Its specific nature provides better results. Also, there are very many nutrient contents in charcoal that have nutritional benefits. It is necessary for more research work to be done to ascertain the position of charcoal. When charcoal is mixed with water, it tends to soften. It is important to slowly and smoothly brush your teeth with charcoal for it not to cause over-abrasion. It is thus possible to provide an evaluation that charcoal leads to the whitening of teeth.

References

Brooks, John K., Nasir Bashirelahi, and Mark A. Reynolds. "Charcoal and charcoal-baseddentifrices: a literature review." The Journal of the American Dental Association 148.9 (2017): 661-670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2017.05.001Da Silva, Marco Antonio Dias, and Anthony Damien Walmsley. "Fake news and dental education." British dental journal 226.6 (2019): 397.

Greenwall, Linda H., Joseph Greenwall-Cohen, and Nairn HF Wilson. "Charcoal-containing dentifrices." British dental Journal 226.9 (2019): 697.

Lee, Janice, et al. "Comparison of bacterial contamination in bristles of charcoal toothbrushes versus non-charcoal toothbrushes." Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene 51.2 (2017).

Miehlich, Kristin, et al. "Oral and dental hygiene and cleaning agents for reducing re-staining of teeth." U.S. Patent No. 9,545,372. 17 Jan. 2017.