I've had mixed results with activated charcoal toothpaste myself. It definitely helped with surface stains, but I got a bit nervous about the abrasiveness too, so I scaled back to once a week. One thing that surprised me was aloe vera toothpaste—sounds weird, I know, but it felt soothing on my gums and seemed to help with sensitivity. Didn't notice much whitening though... guess it's always a trade-off.
Activated charcoal did wonders for my coffee stains, but yeah, gotta watch out—too much and it's like sandpaper for your teeth. Aloe vera toothpaste though? You're braver than me, haha. Actually, if sensitivity's your issue, have you tried rubbing a tiny bit of coconut oil onto your gums after brushing? Sounds weird, but it worked a charm when my gums were acting up. No whitening miracles there either...but hey, at least it tastes better than charcoal dust.
Haha, aloe toothpaste does sound like something you'd dare someone to try at a sleepover...but hey, I've seen stranger things work. Totally agree on charcoal—it's great in moderation but go overboard and you're basically sanding your enamel off.
Coconut oil's a good shout too; I've done oil pulling before and my gums felt amazing afterward. But speaking of weird toothpaste hacks, ever tried baking soda mixed with a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide? Sounds sketchy, I know, but it genuinely brightens teeth without the gritty charcoal feel. Just make sure you don't do it too often—once or twice a week tops—or your dentist might give you the side-eye next visit.
Also, random tip: if you're sensitive like me, steer clear of citrus-flavored toothpastes. Learned that lesson the hard way...felt like brushing with lemonade concentrate. Mint all the way for me now.
I've actually tried the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide thing too, and you're right—it does brighten things up nicely. But I found it made my teeth feel a bit sensitive afterward, even when I kept it to once a week. Maybe it's just me being overly cautious after braces, but now I'm sticking mostly to gentler stuff like coconut oil pulling. Mint toothpaste is definitely the safest bet... citrus flavors always felt weirdly acidic to me too, like brushing with orange juice or something.
Totally agree with you on the citrus toothpaste—always felt like I was scrubbing my teeth with lemonade, lol. Coconut oil pulling is gentler, true, but I wonder if it's actually whitening or just removing surface stains? Curious if anyone's noticed long-term results from it...
