Does Purple Toothpaste Actually Whiten Teeth?

The word has been going around for quite some time now, but not all of us have been quite sure enough to actually put it to experiment. The simple answer is that purple toothpastes do work, but the back up claim is a little tricky to understand so of course we are gonna get into the depths of it.

Purple toothpaste helps in making teeth ‘appear’ brighter thanks to the colour theory that works wonderfully well in this case. But it doesn’t ‘actually’ change the teeth colour or remove any stains. The purple pigment in the toothpaste helps in masking the yellow discoloration by neutralizing the yellow tones and creates a temporary whitening effect that creates all the difference.

Purple and yellow are known to be complementary colours. This means that these colours cancel out each other on the colour wheel. If and when purple toothpaste is applied on the yellow base (teeth, here) the pigment neutralizes the yellow tone and makes teeth look whiter.

This phenomenon is a temporary effect as the purple pigment gets rinsed away as soon as you eat or drink something throughout the day. And because it doesn’t really change the colour of the teeth or remove any surface stains, the yellow appearance most likely comes back.

While purple toothpaste works great in giving a white-appearance to the teeth, it is not a teeth whitening treatment and should not be treated like it. It is not a reliable long-term solution for removing stains, more like a quick, cosmetic fix for yellow teeth.

If you are just willing to try it to see how your teeth would look, sure, give it a try. If you have a big night or an important board member's photo planned, having a purple toothpaste by your side can really make a big difference. But if you are thinking of treating yellow teeth then dental treatments like bleach or lasers would be a better option to do that.