Through years of marketing by conglomerates, consumers have been conditioned to believe that toothpaste needs to be minty, frothy and white in order to clean your teeth properly. This simply isn't true. Consumers need a toothpaste which can remove plaque effectively - that's it! No frothing required. In fact, the chemical used to create froth (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) is a renowned culprit of toothpaste allergies.

Numerous toothpaste brands make lofty and impossible claims to better market their formulas, one of my favourites being that their special formula can “desensitise and repair your enamel” (plot twist: you physically cannot regrow enamel). One of the most popular toothpaste properties is of course whitening. Our resident dentist, Dr Jane Renfrew, has voiced many a time the lack of foundation behind toothpaste whitening claims.

Of the few regulations the toothpaste market is subjected to, the amount of bleach companies are allowed to use in a tube of toothpaste is so minuscule it doesn’t have any whitening effect on your enamel whatsoever. A visit to the hygienist to receive a whitening treatment will, by contrast, produce whitening results, but at what cost? Soaking your enamel in enough bleach for long enough to whiten it inevitably causes irreversible damage. The bleach literally weakens and thins your teeth, removing layers of enamel.

A popular alternative to using bleach to whiten teeth is charcoal, which has become a common ingredient in many toothpaste formulas over the last few years. There are concerns, however, that the abrasive nature of charcoal is bad for your enamel, so let’s clear this up once and for all.

The kind of charcoal used in cosmetic toothpaste is pulverised within an inch of its life to a very fine powder. Whilst the pulverised charcoal doesn’t look as though it could be abrasive, these tiny granules are still course enough to polish your teeth. Think about when you go to the dentist for a scale and polish, what do you think they use to polish your teeth? A solution of water mixed with an abrasive (such as sodium bicarbonate). There is no detrimental effect to using an abrasive to polish and remove stains from your teeth.

…but there are plenty of detrimental effects from bleaching your teeth, namely absorbing bleach through your mouth and irreversibly weakening your enamel.

This is a photo of me when I had just moved to London. I was still using my Colgate toothpaste. You can see I actually have a fairly noticeable stain on my front tooth, and my teeth in general aren't very white looking.

This is a photo of me taken the other day, after using my Monkey + Moon charcoal toothpaste for over two years.

Our charcoal infused formula removes tough stains which can make your teeth look whiter and feel smooth, polished and extra clean. Contrary to what the toothpaste conglomerates might claim, there is no magic ingredient in toothpaste which can actually make your teeth a whiter colour. These images speak for themselves - a natural, chemical free toothpaste can actually make your teeth look much whiter than a toothpaste filled with chemicals.

Read more about the benefits of natural toothpaste here, The Professional View: What NHS dentist thinks about toothpaste.