Crest Pro-Health Mouth Wash brand under fire for causing discoloration of teeth

Crest, the leading overall mouth hygiene brand for many decades and the brand consumers aligned most with dentists, is facing a surprising battle over side-effects from using its relatively new Pro-Health product line.

In the highly competitive business of oral hygiene brands like Crest found they couldn't rest on the laurels of its brand history as other brands upped the ante in the category. In the mouthwash or "oral rinse" segment, Listerine pulled away from the pack including the Scope brand with the introduction of its revolutionary teeth whitening product.

Crest introduced a complete line of more expensive and efficacious products under the "Pro Health" sub-brand attempting to solidify its perceived tie to dentist's recommendations. Most notable was the mouthwash entry with its "alcohol-free" benefit which appealed to broad audiences especially mom's worried about kids "drinking" alcohol based alternative mouthwash brands.

Recently, consumer concerns about the "Pro-Health" brand surfaced all over the internet accusing Proctor & Gamble of not being forthcoming with the product's side effects. Notably, teeth discoloration (they apparently turn brownish) and taste altering issues (users lost taste sensation after using the product). The discoloration of teeth is the most damaging issue primarily because Americans have become obsessed with teeth whitening to the point where some folks older than 65 whose teeth should show normal wear and tear and discoloration now sport teeth whiter than young children's new teeth and on-par with Hollywood celebrities. (Is it just me who thinks some smiles now are just "too white" akin to overdone plastic surgery?)

On NBC's Today Show this morning these concerns were presented clearly causing Proctor some serious problems namely how to protect an established big brand from major damage. There are class action lawsuits pending and tons of negative comments on the internet especially on blogs about the brand which may prove very costly to Proctor.

P & G's spokesperson downplayed the concern and did not alay consumer fears sufficiently in my opinion to stop a negative backlash against the brand. Many consumers are calling for P & G to label the product with the side-effects instead of pretending they don't exist.

This could become a case where a sub-branded product entry could undermine one of the great brands in the HBA segment if P & G does not get on track and effectively handle this matter. The increased attention from media outlets like the Today Show now have the government agencies looking into consumer claims. Companies never want the government to get in their face and this is a great example of poor brand management.

If you have had a bad experience with the product, write me please. Tell me your story.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Comments

[san diego cosmetic dentists]

i must say that i will try this very soon and let me see how it really works for me.thank you for bringing up this.

florence

[Best Teeth Whitening]

I think Crest has got this figured out by now but there are also a lot of other products on the market that are achieving great results without some of the side effects the crest users were reporting.

[Kamanjah]

After I got my teeth cleaned 2 months ago, I decided to try the Crest Pro Health Night toothpaste because the dentist recommended it. He wanted me to use the mouthwash too, but I stuck with the generic listerine cuz it was so much cheaper. Glad I did!

About 2 weeks ago I started noticing dark brown staining on my teeth. So, I flossed more and brushed more and it kept getting worse.

I found out today that a side effect of this toothpaste is staining teeth brown. That's because I didn't read the whole label, which says in part "products containing stannous fluoride may produce surface staining of the teeth...adequate toothbrushing may prevent these stains....specially formulated to help prevent staining.." I just saw the 'prevent staining' part and thought 'this is great!' Wrong!

Stupid little girl, why didn't you read the label?!!

I called Crest and they apologized and advised me to stop using the product. Duh! They're going to send coupons for something that gets the stain off, I can expect the coupons in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Big help that is!

Emergency trip to the dentist tomorrow. What fun!

[ZZ]

I am so glad I found this blog, I thought there was something wrong with me! I kept brushing my teeth and thought i was getting some sort of gum disease. Whats worst is I get this white film skin-like jelly kinda thing in my mouth and i was trying to diagnose if I have some sort of a bacteria or somethng and came across a forum where people using crest pro-health had the same problem!
Anyways they need to do something about it!

[Joe Kraynak]

I think P&G is really dropping the ball on this one. I don't expect them to pull the product off the shelf, but I think it would be good PR if they added a warning label.

They seem to be committed to a policy of denial - saying that the stains could be avoided with proper brushing and the use of a whitening toothpaste.

I can say from experience that Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash stained my teeth a dark brown, especially around the gumlines and between teeth. The problem started when I began using the product and went away when I stopped using it.

To imply that it's the consumer's fault for not brushing properly or using the right toothpaste is insulting. For this reason, I won't buy any Crest products. They certainly lost me as a loyal customer. If they were to do an about-face, I might start using their products again, but until then, they've damaged the Crest brand name for me.

[Jessica]

After reading so many horrow sttories about this product I can't even believe that it is still available. I also had a terrible experience with Crest Pro Health Rinse. When it started, I didn't realize what was causing my symptoms. It began with a painful sore on the left side of the roof of my mouth. This sore lasted for a week or two and then the skin peeled and it went away. At that time I thought that it could have been from some very hot Wasabi that I had at a Thai restaurant while on vacation. Then I began getting bumps on the inner lining of my lips and mouth that could be felt by my tongue but weren't visible to the naked eye. These also came and went along with more of the sores that appeared typically in the same general area. I experience a metallic taste a few times also. I was scared to death. I thought I had some strange disease or cancer or something and I couldn't get in to see a dentist for months and months (as per the usual course with them)Before I made it to the dentist, it occured to me that these symptoms seemed to come and go according to my use of the pro health rinse. Now that I have stopped using the rinse my mouth is slowly returning to normal. I am going to do my best to get this product removed from the shelves. I understand what other people have said about the effects not being permanent but what about the emotional effects??? I seriously thought there was something very gravely wrong with me due to the effects of this garbage mouthwash. I spent hours and hours searching the net for information..lost sleep over it...my children didn't get my full attention as they usually do, due to my being worried over this..and it all oculd have been totally avoided if crest would have just slapped on a little warning label to let people know that hey...for lots of people this product works great..but BEWARE...for some people it can cause the following side effects. That would have been real nice. Real responsible of them. Is it asking too much? I don't think it is. Not at all. anyone interested in speaking with me regarding this can reach me at momvb2four@bellsouth.net

[Natalie]

All growing up, I have always heard from people and dentists that I have such clean, white, healthy teeth; so you can only imagine how horrified I was when I discovered the brown stains that had developed around my gums and in between my teeth! Now, I am not a vain person by any means; I wear no make up and consider the fact that I brush my hair as effort enough. However, I do care a great deal about my health and my appearance as a "healthy" person (I am a nurse and consider this a crucial part of my job...I can't influence others to be healthy if I am not willing to do the same). So, these brown stains looked utterly disgusting, and as if I hadn't ever brushed my teeth. How could I face my patients?! I literally had a melt. I brushed my teeth until my gums bled, I scraped them with tooth picks...nothing was helping. I finally called my dentist to have them warn the other patients and to see if there was anything I could do. They were able to squeeze me in a couple days later (I think because the doctor heard how distraught I was and agreed to come in on his day off...what a blessing!). I am sharing my story because I think it is important that people, and more importantly the company, understand that this isn't some vain, emotional ordeal.....this affects our work, not only by the affects of work relations, but by the fact that we now have to take time off work to get the problem fixed. Leading to the financial costs; the cost of missing work and the cost of going to the dentist for the removal procedure. This product needs to be taken off the market!

[Samantha]

Hi there,

I am really happy to see that this issue is getting more attention from the media...unfortunately, it is too little too late for me as I just discovered the brown spots yesterday morning. Here is a copy of the feedback that I sent on http://www.crest.com/prohealth/.

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I went to brush my teeth and I saw brown discoloration on the bottom part of my teeth and in between my two front teeth. I was extremely distraught to see this and even more confused because I eat alot of natural foods, don't smoke, and don't drink coffee or soda pop. I googled the symptoms of what could be causing this and it lead to your website. I have used half the bottle of what is supposed to be a "Crest Pro Health" mouthwash. I do not care for the guarantee. I want to first know how I am going to remove this off my normally very white teeth, I want to know how I am going to be reimbursed for the payment of such (previously unnecessary) treatment, and I want the active ingredient cetylpyridinium chloride removed from this product and/or a warning label to be put on the bottle. I have read your faq - however, I will be contacting Health Canada on further instruction on how to get this product off the shelves. I am a Canadian and the phone number that is provided for Crest Pro Health inquiries and concerns is not working for me so I would appreciate if you could provide with another number so I could speak with a nurse directly regarding this issue. I am really upset by this whole incident because not only is it affecting my aesthetic appearance, but the brown spots may eventually turn into something more serious - but I will have to book an appointment with my dentist to get more information about that. Please understand that now I will have to get unpaid time off from work and I will have to pay a dentist's bill if it is not fully covered by my insurance plan. Economically, purchasing Crest Pro Health has been a disaster for me and Crest should exhibit good consumer relations by offering to reimburse me for the doctor's appointment(s) I will have to pay for due the discoloration of my teeth by a product and a brand name that I trusted in.

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I will keep you updated on their response...