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?
Loading ...