If you’re a dedicated Dental Heroes reader you’ve probably noticed that I’ve yet to post a book review. Well, today’s a first in that regard. I recently had the pleasure of reading a great book by David Snape entitled, “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”. The book is actually quite different from most dental books in the sense that this book was written by a layman, not a dental professional. David is just a regular guy with a compelling story.

David’s Story

The inspiration for this book according to David was a fateful visit to the dentist during which he was diagnosed with mild to moderate periodontal disease(gum disease). David’s dentist informed him that they’d have to perform a scaling and root planing procedure to save his teeth. At this point, most people, often uninformed about the disease would proceed with the recommended treatment. Not David. In fact, David walked away that day determined to inform himself about gum disease and subsequently fight the disease with this knowledge that he was about to learn. Months later after implementing what he learned about fighting the disease(also detailed in this book), David returned to the dentist. To the dentist’s amazement, David had defeated gum disease and no longer needed the scaling and root planing procedure. The information that David used to defeat gum disease is detailed in stunning clarity in “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”.

What is Gum Disease

Gum disease, in general terms “refers to a number of inflammatory diseases affecting the periodontium — that is, the tissues that surround and support the teeth(Wikipedia).” This is of course just a simple definition of gum disease. However, “What You Should Know About Gum Disease” explores gum disease in much more depth.

Why should I care?

If you’re a dental professional you already know that gum disease is quite common. However, most people don’t know how common. According to David, the number could be as high as 80% for adults. Surprised? I sure was. Not only is gum disease common, but it’s also very serious. In an increasing number of research studies conducted over the past several years gum disease has been linked to heart disease, stroke, lung infections and most recently rheumatoid arthritis. The number of conditions tied to gum disease will surely climb in the coming years as more studies are conducted.

Who should read “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”?

Everybody. Whether you’re a dental professional or a regular person, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Dental professionals will benefit from David’s insights into educating their patients about the preventative measures they should be incorporating into their daily routines to prevent gum disease. As a patient himself, David’s insights are invaluable to any dental practice.

Regular people, like myself will benefit from reading this book because David has meticulously covered gum disease from top to bottom. He covers everything from the indicators of gum disease to risk factors associated with gum disease to actionable steps that will help to prevent gum disease. All of these topics are covered with uncommon clarity and a real understanding of the disease.

Chapter Listing

To get a better idea of the specific content you can expect in “What You Should Know About Gum Disease” I’ve provided a chapter listing below:

• Chapter 1 – Discovering an Unwanted Guest: Gum Disease
• Chapter 2 – Professional Care
• Chapter 3 – Home Care
• Chapter 4 – Questions about Gum Disease
• Chapter 5 – The Fight Against Gum Disease Continues
• Chapter 6 – The Mind-Body Connection
• References and Resources
• Gum Disease Resources
• Other Health Resources

What have others said about the book?

“David Snape really gets it…Drawing from his own in-depth experience and knowledge on the subject, Snape enables his reader to go easily beyond the minimal care offered to most Americans. The results will empower his readers to take charge of this vital, yet often-ignored aspect of good health and wellbeing. I only wish I had this book twenty years(and several lost teeth) ago.” – John Corso, MD, author of Stupid Reasons People Die

“This book should be in dentist and doctor’s office waiting areas an health clinics…” – Hillary Yasmer Shemin, RDH, BSDH

How do I order “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”?

To learn more about his book or to purchase “What You Should Know About Gum Disease”, visit David’s personal website, GingivitisKiller.com.

Do you incorporate both brushing and flossing into your daily oral hygiene routine yet still have people telling you your breath stinks? It’s really more common than you might think. So, what’s the likely culprit? Your tongue. In fact, many sources now claim that close to 50% of all bacteria in our mouth resides on the tongue – and bacteria spells smelly breath.

Bye, Bye Bacteria

You may be wondering if it’s sufficient to rub your toothbrush on your tongue to remove bacteria. Sure, it is. However, I recently had the opportunity to review a product that does an even better job of ridding your tongue of odor-causing bacteria.

The product is Dr. Weider’s Original Tung Gel. Tung Gel is specifically formulated to do one thing – to clean the tongue. With the incorporation of bacteria-fighting zinc, this product means business. In fact, after just two weeks of sampling this product personally, I’ve decided to incorporate it into my daily routine.

Tasty & Fresh

What’s so good about this product you might be wondering? Two things set this product apart from other tongue cleaning products on the market: taste and effectiveness. Hands down, Dr. Weider’s Original Tung Gel is the best tasting tongue cleaning product that I’ve personally tested. The minty taste is both fresh and refreshing. Secondly, this product is just plain effective. Not only does my mouth feel fresher longer into the day, but my wife’s complaining about my breath far less often. That’s a win in my book.

Product Features(Provided by Dr. Weider)

• Dentists and hygienists now recommend tongue cleansing as an
  essential part of complete oral care.
• Light gel rinses off the tongue cleaner than toothpaste
• Unique great-tasting formula leaves tongue feeling tingly and fresh
• Sudsing helps to remove bacteria and debris from the tongue

Notes

I recommend using the Tung-Brush along with the Tung-Gel to maximize the product’s effectiveness. The Tung-Brush resembles a dental mirror – only short bristles replace the circular mirror portion. This maximizes surface area coverage for optimal tongue-cleaning.

Disclaimer

This was an unpaid review. The Tung-Gel and Tung-Brush were sent to me purely for evaluative purposes.

Have you tried Tung Gel yourself?

What are your thoughts about this product?

Sunstar Americas, Inc., manufacturer of GUM® and Butler® brand products, recently released Gum Periobalance, one of the first probiotic products specifically focused on improving oral health.

New breed of Oral Health Products

Representing a new breed in oral health products, GUM® PerioBalance™ is specifically formulated to provide oral health benefits by balancing the oral environment. It does this with the help of probiotics, a form of “good” bacteria which can help your body’s natural defense against a variety of common ailments, including oral health problems. As Sunstar put it, the probiotics found in GUM® PerioBalance™ is “designed to rebalance the oral environment”. If you’d like to read further about the benefits of probiotics, a great article recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

Clinical Sudies Report Good Results

Recent clinical studies have indicated that the probiotics found in GUM® PerioBalance™ are indeed helpful for balancing the oral environment. In fact, studies have shown a 42 percent decrease in moderate-to-severe plaque after 28 days when GUM® PerioBalance™ has been taken as directed. Sunstar was nice enough to send me a 28-day supply(one box) of GUM® PerioBalance™ for review, and I can confirm that my plaque levels were noticeably reduced after the 28 day trial period.

Incorporate GUM® PerioBalance™ into your daily Regimen

One thing to note about GUM® PerioBalance™ is that it’s not a magic bullet. You can’t cease all other parts of your oral care routine and expect the results described above. Instead, GUM® PerioBalance™ should be used as a supplement to your existing brushing, flossing, mouth washing routine to see the oral environment balancing benefits.

Physical Product Facts

GUM® PerioBalance™ is currently available in a fresh mint flavored lozenge(dissolves under tongue). I found the lozenge to be quite potent. The taste was great, but strong enough that I had to shift it around under my tongue to avoid discomfort. Each box of GUM® PerioBalance™ comes with 28 lozenges – so just about a month’s supply.

Try it for yourself

If you’d like to give GUM PerioBalance a try, we recommend purchasing from Amazon.com below.

In the most recent Dental Heroes Poll, I’ve asked you to tell me whether you prefer manual or powered toothbrushes. So far, the manual brush lovers are holding a slim lead. The fact that the majority of my readers still use manual toothbrushes could be due to a number of factors. For example, manual toothbrushes are easy to use, inexpensive, comfortable, virtually cleanup-free, etc. On the other hand, most powered toothbrushes are a pain to charge, expensive, uncomfortable in the mouth, and messy. It’s easy to see why most of you prefer manual toothbrushes – heck I do even.

In fact, until recently I had convinced myself that there wasn’t a single powered toothbrush on the market that would convert me to using powered toothbrushes. Well, after using the Oral-B Vitality Precision Clean Power Toothbrush diligently for the past week, I think I’m ready to finally give a powered toothbrush my approval.

Oral-B Vitality™

Before I provide you with my review, let’s take a look at the Oral-B Vitalities’™ features(courtesy of Amazon.com).

• Healthier gums – over 60% gingivitis reduction
• Pulsating signal after two minutes recommended brushing time
• Rechargeable battery will last approximately 20 minutes or 5 days of brushing
• Limited 2 year warranty
• Gets hard-to-reach areas

Who I’d Recommend This Product To

This product is great really for anyone. I think it’s especially great for those of you who are manual toothbrush users, but want to give a powered toothbrush a try.

Comfort
I think you’ll find that this powered toothbrush fits comfortably in your mouth and that the brush size is just right. With many of the powered toothbrushes that I’ve tried in the past the brush size was so large that it overstimulated my teeth. In fact, my teeth were overstimulated to the point where I had no choice but to stop brushing. The Oral-B Vitality™ at no point caused this sort of hypersensitivity.

Compact
Not only is the Vitality™ itself quite compact, but the incorporated charger is quite compact itself. In fact, if I didn’t know better I’d swear this toothbrush didn’t come with a charger. It’s THAT cool.

Affordability
I’m sure most of you will also appreciate that the Oral-B Vitality™ is also affordable – proving that powered toothbrush and affordability is not an oxymoron. In fact, the Vitality™ is one of the most affordable powered toothbrushes on the market at around $20.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the market for an inexpensive but very competent powered toothbrush I recommend giving the Oral-B Vitality™ Precision Clean Power Toothbrush a try. I think you’ll be happy with the comfort, compact nature, and affordability this toothbrush provides.

Don’t just take my word for it

Oral-B has enlisted the help of Jillian Michaels from NBC’s the Biggest Loser to spread the word about not only the Oral-B Vitality™, but also about the ways that properly brushing your teeth can enhance your health and quality of life. If you’d like to learn more about Jillian’s message you should check out smoothcleanfeeling.com and watch the Youtube video below.



Your Thoughts

Have you tried the Oral-B Vitality Precision Clean Power Toothbrush? If so, share with the rest of us your thoughts.

Try it Yourself

If you’re interested in giving the Oral-B Vitality Precision Clean Power Toothbrush a try, we recommend purchasing from Amazon.com.

I can’t think of any product in recent years that I have been more excited to review than the TiFinity Toothbrush™ by TiFinity Oral Care Inc. Why? Simple. The TiFinity Toothbrush™ is unlike any other toothbrush on the market today. The differences are both numerous, and distinct.

How the TiFinity Toothbrush™ Is Different From Your Toothbrush

• TiFinity stays in brand new condition for the life of the brush, while all other brands rapidly splay and deform, rendering them ineffective
• Lasts 10 times longer than the average toothbrush
• Utilizes 1000′s of tiny titanium micro-bristles
• Titanium bristles are non-porous – remaining hygienic unlike nylon bristles
• Clean feeling like no toothbrush you’ve ever experienced
• Removes more plaque

My Personal Experience

I have to admit that I was both intrigued and weary prior to trying out the TiFinity Toothbrush™. The thought of using titanium bristles to brush my teeth was so foreign that I almost talked myself out of trying it. However, I was surprised to find that the titanium bristles felt very much like the nylon bristles we’re all used to – both when I ran my fingers through them, and when they were actually brushing my teeth. Maybe a bit more rigid that nylon – but not a dealbreaker. So, the titanium bristles quickly became a non-issue for me.

Amazing “Clean” Feeling

In fact, it turns out that the titanium bristles produced a “clean” feeling that I’ve never felt with another toothbrush. The inventor’s claim that the TiFinity Toothbrush™ “cleans areas between that teeth and under the gums that simply cannot be reached with traditional toothbrushes” seems to be true(for me anyway). In fact, recent studies have proven that the TiFinity Toothbrush™ cleans 15% better than the leading electric toothbrush.

Final Verdict

I like it. It took a brushing or two to determine whether it was worth purchasing a TiFinity Toothbrush™ for $25 versus a traditional nylon brush that costs around $3. However, it’s hard to imagine that I’ll go back to using a nylon-bristled brush at this point due to the long life of the TiFinity, and the extreme “clean” feeling that I experienced. Don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself if it’s worth making the switch.

Where to Find the TiFinity Toothbrush

The TiFinity Toothbrush™ is available for purchase on the TiFinity Oral Care Inc. website for $25.00 without a base, and $33.00 with a base. You even have the option of signing up for their “Auto-Send” program which will automatically send you a new TiFinity Toothbrush™ at regularly scheduled intervals at a discounted price.

Time for a Product Review

It has been a little while since my last product review, so I figure I’m about due. Like most of my past product reviews, I was contacted by a company rep interested in having their product reviewed. On this particular occasion, I was contacted by a rep at Paragon International, which is a company that develops and distributes oral health training products. Since I haven’t reviewed any teaching aids in the past, I figured this would be a great item to share with you – so the rep was nice enough to ship the product to me.

They Sent Me a Dog

To my amazement, the rep ended up shipping me a dog! Ok, so it was only 10″ tall and of the plush variety, but I got you’re attention, right? Anyway, the dog, Lil Ollie Z Mutt, is part of a troupe of plush oral care teaching aids known as the “Plak-Posse Palz™,” which is marketed under the name, StarSmileZ™. In addition to the Plak-Posse Palz, StarSmileZ also offers Zoo Animal Teaching Aids®(larger teaching aids), accessories for the animals(toothbrushes, totes, etc.), and family/professional packs for those of you who want to bring the Zoo to you.

Vibrant Colors

Ok, back to Lil Ollie Z Mutt, which will be the focus of this review. My first impression of Lil Ollie as I broke it out of the package was the vibrant color palette that was used – from the yellow fur, to the purple polka dots, to the blue hair. This got my attention, so it surely would get a kids attention – for whom this product is intended.

Life-like Teeth

Another physical feature of this product that jumped out at me was how life-like the molded teeth were. There was almost an eerie resemblance. They not only look like real teeth, but minus the plaque, they felt like real teeth too. In my experience, with teaching aids of any type, the more realistic the aid, the easier it is to make a connection between the aid and the real-life situation it is meant to mimic. This product does that well.

The Infamous Torture Test

After looking Lil Ollie over, it was time for the patented Dental Heroes “torture test”. I must admit, I didn’t want to submit Lil Ollie to too much torture because he’s pretty darn cute – there I said it. But, I feel as though durability is important in a product, so I submitted it to the torture test anyway. I tried to mimic the conditions that the average child would subject it to – which included twisting, pulling, smashing, throwing, and even letting my dog, Buddy, have a go at it. I’m happy to say Lil Ollie survived, and is doing well. In fact, he passed the torture test with flying colors. This is a solid product. I’d venture to say that it’s made to resist wear and tear better than many of my dog’s toys! That said, I’m confident that most kids won’t have a problem keeping Lil Ollie alive to teach another day.

Effective as Teaching Aid

So far, I’ve established that in my opinion, Lil Ollie Z Mutt is a vibrant, life-like, and durable product. But, I think the most important question to answer is whether or not I think this product can effectively teach children the importance of establishing healthy, long-term oral hygiene habits. In short, yes. I think this product has all of the ingredients to effectively engage children – vibrant colors, the “cuteness” factor, the ability to interact, and the addition of a new friend. Beyond that, I can see a child brushing Lil Ollie Z Mutt’s teeth, or any of the StarSmileZ animals’ teeth and thinking to themselves, “I want to brush my teeth too”. Heck, it made me want to brush my teeth if that counts for anything, and I’m far from a child(I hope).

Two Paws Up

Bottom line: I give this product two thumbs(or paws in this case) up.

Purchasing Information

If you’re interested in purchasing Lil Ollie Z Mutt($24.95), or any of his friends, Paragon has established a number of ways for you to do so:

• Visit www.starsmilez.com
• Call 1.800.919.0077
• Fax: 352.332.1828
• Mail Order
• Ask Your Dental Distributor

Dr. Collins All White Toothpaste

The following is a description and some features of Dr. Collins All White Toothpaste according to the Dr. Collins website:

…Wine, coffee and soda may taste great, but they can leave unattractive surface stains on your teeth. The All White Whitening Toothpaste, with its uniquely developed formula comprised of Xylitol and Peroxide, reduces plaque formation and helps whiten stained teeth. The formula has been developed with a 25% concentration of Xylitol, along with Sodium Monofluorphosphate to prevent cavities. All White also contains the antibacterial agent Cetyl Pyridinium Chloride to help fight bad breath. It is safe for dental work, and has the added ingredient of baking soda topped off with a great vanilla mint taste. The All White Whitening Toothpaste is a great way to help maintain a “post-cosmetic” smile or keep the natural white you may already have…

Features:

• Available in 4.2 oz tube and .75 oz travel size
• Baking Soda Whitening Toothpaste with Xylitol and Peroxide
• Active ingredient: Sodium Monofluorophosphate 0.83% w/Anticavity
• Removes stains and whitens teeth (contains silica and peroxide)
• Contains poloxamers which helps prevent plaque from sticking to teeth
• Contains antibacterial agent cetyl pyridinium chloride to help fight bad breath
• Comparable to Supersmile and Britesmile Whitening Toothpaste
• Safe for dental work

The following attributes are rated on a scale of 1 – 5 (1=poor 5=excellent)

Aesthetic Appeal = 4

As with other Dr. Collins products, the packaging is nothing fancy – just their signature black and white look. I liked the easy-squeeze lid they added to this product – a feature I always appreciate. The toothpaste itself is real thick and substantial(looks like it means business). The paste is plain white in color. I give this a 4 out of 5 rating just because the toothpaste looks so solid, and I meant that metaphorically, not literally, of course.

Durability = 5

There really wasn’t much to test with this product in regards to durability. However, the toothpaste tube was pretty consistent with the leading toothpaste products on the market in terms of its’ strength.

Functionality = 5

Bottom line, it works. After a 3 week test period, my teeth are approximately 1 shade lighter. I made sure to eliminate other variables in my diet, and brushing habits throughout the 3 weeks to ensure that my results could be accurately attributed to this toothpaste. Sure enough, my teeth are noticeably whiter. I will probably discontinue use of this product for another 6 months or so only because my teeth are as white as I want them at the moment.

Taste

Taste is typically a huge issue for me when it comes to toothpaste. After all, for the amount of time I spend brushing, I don’t want to spend it wanting to gag. Luckily, Dr. Collins All White Toothpaste has a pretty mild taste. I’d liken the taste to a dinner mint, only a touch less intense. Bottom line, it won’t knock you off your feet, but it will leave a clean, minty aftertaste in your mouth for hours.

Least Favorite Attribute

This is a tough one, because this is great toothpaste. My one recommendation for Dr. Collins would be to offer a larger tube option.

Favorite Attribute

It works. Most “whitening” toothpastes did not work for me. This does. I also enjoyed that this toothpaste not only whitens teeth, but it also contains ingredients proven to prevent cavities, fight bad breath, and reduce plaque as well.

Overall Opinion

Great product. Probably my favorite of the four Dr. Collins products I’ve reviewed. The results were well above average, as I was able to whiten my teeth a minimum of 1 shade.

Try it Yourself

If you’d like to try Dr. Collins All White Toothpaste for yourself, we recommend Amazon.com.

Dr. Collins Perio Toothbrush

The following is a description and some features of Dr. Collins Periodontal Toothbrush according to the Dr. Collins website:

…Dr. Collins Perio Toothbrush penetrates the areas between teeth and gums removing plaque and food particles, while gently massaging gums without pain and bleeding. It gives you cleaner teeth, healthier gums and saves tooth enamel from abrasion. Dr. Collins Perio Toothbrush helps prevent cavities and provides overall oral hygiene and fresher breath…Standard toothbrush filaments have flat tips and cannot reach between teeth where residual foods and foreign substances can accumulate, rot, cause bad breath, and lead to the onset of tooth decay and gum disease. The Dr Collins Perio toothbrush has tapered filaments that can penetrate between the teeth and around the gums to remove the unwanted buildup…

The following attributes are rated on a scale of 1 – 5 (1=poor 5=excellent)

Aesthetic Appeal = 3

This toothbrush looks consistent with the signature Dr. Collins look – white and black coloring with a focus on function as opposed to aesthetics. I can appreciate this, but I also know that this toothbrush will not catch a person’s eye if they’re in the market for a new toothbrush. Sadly, flash wins the sales game sometimes. I do have to say, however, that the bristles on this thing are cooler than any bristles you’ve probably ever seen on a toothbrush. They’re more pointed than your average toothbrush and softer looking.

Durability = 5

Once again, it’s apparent that Dr. Collins cares about product quality. Most of you know I enjoy the torture-testing portion of my product reviews, and this was certainly no exception. However, I almost felt bad for the toothbrush this time. I literally bent the toothbrush in half until both ends touched. Guess what? It didn’t snap. I know many dental product manufacturers that can’t make this claim for any of their toothbrushes.

Functionality = 4

Fantastic. I’ve never used a periodontal brush before, but I have to admit, I like it. You barely know that you’re brushing, but the coveted “clean” feeling that I experienced while using this toothbrush was really incomparable. I can verify that this toothbrush is very capable of exctracting food particles as well. I had a really annoying piece of chip stuck in the crack between my two front teeth, and this toothbrush pulled it out with ease.

Least Favorite Attribute

The handle. I can see that Dr. Collins made an effort to improve the ergonomics of this toothbrush, but I felt as though I was constantly repositioning my hand to turn the toothbrush because of the extremely curved nature of the handle. Typically, a toothbrush will turn within your hand effortlessly, but this required greater than normal effort. Overall, this was a minor nuisance.

Favorite Attribute

The darn thing does what it’s supposed to do – effectively penetrates between the teeth while gently massaging the gums. This adds up to an unmistakably “clean” feeling.

Overall Opinion

I couldn’t be more bored while looking at this toothbrush, but that’s secondary to the outstanding functionality of this toothbrush. I recommend this brush to anyone looking for a gentle toothbrush that effectively cleans the teeth while combating gum disease. Ok, so I guess that’s everybody, right?

Try it for yourself

If you’d like to give the Dr. Collins Perio Toothbrush a try, we recommend purchasing from Amazon.com.

Dr. Collins Dental Work Floss

The following is a description and some features of Dr. Collins Dental Work Floss according to the Dr. Collins website:

The shred resistant Dental Work Floss features a unique multifilament that picks up more plaque and debris. The mild mint wax coating allows the Dental Work Floss to slip easily between the teeth and leave a refreshing clean taste. Dr. Collins Dental Work Waxed Floss works great with floss holders/aids and will not break or shred in the presence of rough fillings or dental work. Dental Work Floss is also available in regular and extra fine unwaxed versions made of a standard floss fiber.

Features

• Waxed Floss fiber
• 54.7 yds

The following attributes are rated on a scale of 1 – 5 (1=poor 5=excellent)

Aesthetic Appeal = 4
Aesthetically, the floss dispenser features a look consistent with their other product – white text on a black background. This is certainly not flashy, but aesthetics are and have always been secondary to me as long as the functionality is solid. In regards to the floss itself, I was surprised to see that the shape was more flat than it was cylindrical. I suspect this had something to do with the fiber used to create the floss. Despite looking different than most floss products I’ve seen before, it did look more substantial.

Durability = 5
I pulled, twisted, gnawed, and even tried to break this floss on the corner of my desk, but couldn’t cause it to snap or tear. I did notice slight fraying after working the floss with a fair amount of pressure between my teeth and lower permanent retainer, but never enough to cause concern about the durability of this product. I give this a solid 5 for standing up to my torture-testing!

Functionality = 4
This product worked like a charm. From the get-go, I had no noticeable hitches during my normal flossing routine. In fact, this floss worked as well or better than the brand I’m currently using around my lower permanent retainer. Of course, I still needed a threader to get underneath my retainer properly, but then again that would be necessary regardless of the floss I’m using.

Taste
The dispenser indicates that this floss’s flavor is “mild mint”. While I could certainly smell the mint, the taste was too mild for my liking. I don’t want to feel like I’m chewing on a mint leaf, but I also want to feel as though my teeth are being freshened if I’m going to take the time to floss.

Least Favorite Attribute
The taste. I like pronounced flavors in my dental care products. For me, it’s more of a psychological need than anything. I think this product could benefit from a little more minty goodness.

Favorite Attribute
Durability. My extensive torture-testing didn’t make a dent in this product. If only you knew what I put it through, you’d understand how durable this product is.

Overall Opinion
As I mentioned earlier, this floss performed equally as good, if not better around my dental work than my current brand. I enjoy my current brand, but I’m considering giving the next round to Dr. Collins Dental Work Floss.

Try it for yourself

If you’d like to take the Dr. Collins Dental Work Floss for a spin yourself, we recommend Amazon.com.

It has been some time since I’ve posted a product review on the Dental Heroes Blog, so I figured now would be a great time to write one.

The focus of this product review is Dr. Collins Interdental Cleaners.

Dr. Collins Interdental Cleaner Features

The following is a list of Dr. Collins Interdental Cleaner features according to the Dr. Collins website:

• Soft cylindrical brush removes plaque and food debris
• Reaches areas not accessible by manual brushing
• Flexible rubber handle is easy to grip
• Great for use with braces or bridges
• Ventilated plastic cap for each interdental cleaner
• Convenient storage box great for travel
• 10 interdental cleaners per box

The following attributes are rated on a scale of 1 – 5 (1=poor 5=excellent)

Aesthetic Appeal = 4
This is one serious-looking interdental cleaner. You can really tell it means business when looking at it. I also get the feeling that Dr. Collins was more focused on a functional look, and less concerned with producing an “eye candy” product. I for one appreciate that.

Durability = 5
I’m quite impressed with the durability of this product. I didn’t notice any signs of weakness while using this product as intended. In fact, I didn’t notice any signs of weakness while using this product in a way that was unintended either. I spent 5 minutes trying to break the interdental cleaner and couldn’t. I bent it in half, and it bounced back into its original form. I bent the bristled head in every direction, and twisted it as much as possible, but no breakage.

Functionality = 4
I was pleased with the functionality of this product. It was above average. The flexibility of both the bristled head and the rubber handle was very helpful in maneuvering between the hard-to-reach teeth. I also had no problems working it under my permanent retainer – which is something I expected to have problems with to be honest. The lone functionality issue that I experienced while using the Dr. Collins interdental cleaners was that I had to straighten out the bristled head a few times on some teeth to maneuver it properly. This was not a big deal though, and was probably due to operator error more than anything.

Least Favorite Attribute
I had no problems with this product. In fact, my only real issue with this product is not with the product at all, rather with the lack of instructions. I would have appreciated a small instruction manual tucked into the plastic carrying case that covered proper usage guidelines, cleaning tips, and usage allowance for each cleaner.

Favorite Attribute
I’m most impressed with the handle grip. Most interdental cleaners on the market slip through your fingers while working on particularly stubborn gaps between your teeth. This product simply doesn’t slip.

Overall Opinion
I give Dr. Collins Interdental Cleaners 2 thumbs up. If you’re already an interdental cleaner user, and haven’t tried the Dr. Collins Interdental Cleaners, you owe it to yourself to give them a try. I’ll bet you haven’t used interdental cleaners with this much flexibility. If you’ve never tried interdental cleaners, then you should give this product a try as well. You may just decide it’s time to convert!

Try them for yourself

If you’d like to give the Dr. Collins Interdental Cleaners a try for yourself, we recommend purchasing from Amazon.com.

Crest Pro Health Rinse Complaints Mount

A small, but vocal group of former Crest Pro Health Rinse users have taken to the internet, and the court system to voice their displeasure for the product. So, what has these people so irked about Crest Pro Health Rinse? Well, apparently they experienced discoloration of their teeth and an odd numbing taste(despite being a non-alcoholic product).

Former Crest Pro Health Rinse user “Zero Stars For Me” had this to say on an Amazon.com customer review:

This garbage put dingy yellow and brown stains on my teeth, especially near the gums. A dental cleaning failed to get them off. If I had known this mouthwash could cause stains, I would never have used it in the first place. If my next dental cleaning fails to remove the yellow on my teeth, P&G may have a lawsuit on their hands. It’s to the point where I don’t want to even talk or smile. These Pro Health products should be illegal.

That’s just scratching the surface, no pun intended. Take a look at more reviews of Crest Pro Health Rinse on Amazon.com. Popular Blogger, Andy Wibbels also rang in on this issue in a post he boldly called, “Crest Pro Health Mouthwash Turning Customers Teeth Brown,” in which hundreds of Ex-Pro Health Rinse users lashed out at Proctor & Gamble(Crest’s Parent Company) and fervently denounced the product.

Many former users of Crest Pro Health Rinse want to take their case one step further – to the court system. NBC5.com reports that, “a federal lawsuit alleging fraud in a proposed class action is currently pending in Georgia.” Furthermore, the “U.S. Food and Drug administration is currently gathering more information on complaints.” This story gained national attention recently on NBC’s “Today” show.

Proctor & Gamble’s Response
As reported by NBC5.com, Dr. Robert Gerlach, conductor of clinical research on Crest Pro Health Rinse, had this to say in defense of the product:

“I want to assure you that Crest Pro-Health Rinse is safe and effective: the millions of consumers who use it every day, and the growing number of dentists who recommend it, can attest to that,” Gerlach said on the site. “We perform extensive scientific and safety testing on all of our products and their ingredients before they are marketed, and continue to monitor them once in market. Crest Pro-Health Rinse’s active ingredient has been recognized as safe and effective by an FDA advisory panel, and the label meets current FDA standards.”

The “FAQ” section of the Crest website also serves to defend the product. In it, Crest addresses the concerns of a dental hygienist that noticed staining in her patients’ teeth as a result of using Crest Pro Health Rinse this way:

Teeth discoloration could actually be one indication, in some people, that the product is working: after the rinse kills germs in your mouth, the dead germs can collect on the teeth surface and create the appearance of a brown stain.

My Thoughts
I can’t see this as any consolation for those that experienced the sort of staining that we’ve read about on Amazon.com and Andy’s Blog. In fact, it seems to minimize the emotions experienced by the affected.

If you’ll remember, back in September of 2007, I wrote a review of Crest Pro Health Rinse. This was before the can of worms was opened. I didn’t experience the brown staining myself, but as you can see by the outcry, the problem does appear to be legitimate. If it is indeed legitimate, I think Proctor & Gamble will have to take a hard look at this product and decide whether they want to be a socially responsible company or a strictly profit-motivated company.

Have you used Crest Pro Health Rinse? What were your personal results? What should be Proctor & Gamble’s response to the outcry?

This post is actually inspired by a fellow dental blogger, Tammy Davenport over at the About.com Dentistry Blog. She published a post today that is just too important to ignore.

Her post highlighted the admirable efforts of a company by the name of Orawave. Orawave is a dental product manufacturer that produces such things as toothbrushes, flossing apparatus, denture brushes, and the like. One of the unique aspects of Orawave is their acute sense of social responsibility in the form of charity. What specifically caught my attention was their dedication to supporting breast cancer awareness.

As a tangible showing of their dedication to breast cancer awareness, Orawave is currently offering what they call the “Pink Ribbon” 2-Minute TwinSpin Power Toothbrush(view image) for $6.99. The “Pink Ribbon” 2 is available in both white and pink colors, and comes packaged in a beautiful display case.

What makes this great offer special is that Orawave is donating 10% of sales to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to fund breast cancer research, education, treatment and screening, according to Davenport.

Breast cancer is a horrible disease, and one that profoundly impacts many peoples’ lives. Its nice this day and age to see a company committed to such an important cause, and I hope we as a society will support such causes.

To learn more about Orawave, and this special offer, visit the Orawave website.

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope to be a bi-monthly dental product review. I am in no way compensated for using any of the products I am reviewing, nor am I provided the products by any manufacturers – just so there aren’t any questions about that. Also, don’t forget that I am not a dentist, so my impressions are just opinions and should not be accepted as medical fact.

That being said, lets get to our first product – Crest Pro Health mouthwash.

For those of you unfamiliar with this product, you can find product images and information on the Crest site.

Packaging
The packaging was about what you’d expect from a bottle of mouthwash – typical teardrop-shaped plastic bottle with an oversized white cap.

Labeling
The label is designed really well. It is attractive, clean, and soothing. However, I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to marketing, so naturally I have an issue with the marketing message found on the label. I find it annoying that they say this product, “Provides Dentist Recommended Benefits.” This says to me that Crest stopped one step short of obtaining recommendations from actual dentists. Is there a reason for this? I don’t know, it just makes me wonder.

Color & Taste
In terms of color, this product is no different that anything else you’ve probably seen a mouthwash come in – just the basic blue(Clean Mint) and green(Cool Wintergreen) at the moment. The taste is in one word – lacking. The lack of alcohol in this particular mouthwash is in my opinion its achilles heal. The boldness of alcohol psychologically gives me the feeling that the product is actually working. Lacking alcohol, this product tastes flat. However, for those of you who don’t like mouthwashes containing alcohol, you’ll probably like the taste.

Does it Work?
It’s hard to tell. It claims to “fight plaque, gingivitis, and bad breath for 12 hours.” I can’t say how long the protection actually lasted, but I have to admit that my teeth had noticeably less buildup at the end of the day after swishing this product around in my mouth earlier in the day. As for my breath, only my wife knows for sure! All in all, my mouth felt pretty refreshed after using this product.

Bottom Line
Solid product. I can’t see my self using this product long-term, however. I can’t seem to deal without the alcohol – it really does make a difference for me. Maybe you won’t mind the lack of alcohol, but I think for now I’ll be sticking to Scope.

What do you think about this product?

Knowing which dental care products really work and which don’t is not easy – that is unless you have unlimited time and money to try all of them out.

With new products hitting the market virtually every day, this is simply unrealistic. Therefore, I’ve decided to add a regular post to the rotation that highlights a new dental product each week. This could be anything from the latest toothpaste to the must have water pik of the Summer I will try my best to provide an objective overview of the product and leave the forum open for you to provide your personal comments about the products.

My intention here is to provide you with unbiased dental care product analysis by your peers. I hope that this will be a fruitful way of determining whether a product under review is worth adding to your medicine cabinet.

If you have product suggestions for this exercise, please add them as a comment.