During my previous visit to the dentist, the dental hygienist said that my teeth had a lot of plaque, so I decided to put a real effort into caring for my teeth. I brushed after every meal, flossed once or twice a day, and started rising with Crest Pro-Health mouthwash.
After a couple weeks, I noticed that my teeth were stained worse than ever – dark brown stains particularly near the gum line. When I smiled, my daughter said that it looked as though I had algae growing on my teeth.
I assumed it was from the harsh cleaning I had received at the dentist office. I thought maybe the hygienist had scrubbed off a protective layer and that the first few cups of coffee I had after that cleaning had somehow soaked into my porous teeth.
Today, I visited the dentist for my six-month checkup. She looked at my teeth and noted how stained they were. She said, “You’re not a smoker, are you?” I told her no, I’m not a smoker.
The hygienist did her cleaning. She needed a special high-powered water pick to blast the stain off. She couldn’t finish. She scheduled me for another appointment.
I explained how discouraged I was. Here I was trying my best to care for my teeth, and this was the worst staining I’ve had in my entire life. How could that be possible?
The hygienist asked if I brushed with Crest Pro-Health. I said no, I don’t brush with it but I do use Crest Pro-Health mouthwash at least once a day and sometimes twice. I asked her why? She explained that Crest Pro-Health toothpaste uses stannous fluoride, which can stain some people’s teeth. She said she didn’t think the mouthwash had stannous fluoride. (I checked the label when I got home – no stannous fluoride. Sure enough, the toothpaste tube does have a warning “products containing stannous fluoride may produce surface staining of the teeth.” No such warning appears on the mouthwash bottle.)
When I got home, I Googled “crest pro health mouthwash stains teeth.” The entire first page of results contained links to articles and blog posts from people who reported that Crest Pro-Health mouthwash stained their teeth a dark brown soon after they began using it.
This really irritates me. I was using a product I thought would make my teeth healthier and whiter and make my gums stronger. Instead, it made my smile look like I was a two-pack a day smoker.
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Same thing happened to me. Always had perfect, white teeth and after 2 months of using the mouthwash theyre brown stained everywhere.
I am so happy I found this article! I have been obsessing over the staining between my teeth for about 1.5 years. That’s about the time I switched from Listerine to the Crest Pro-Health. I had no idea what was causing the staining. My hygienist thought it was probably from my diet so I completely stopped drinking iced tea and red wine. I am absolutely throwing away the bottle I just bought!
It is sad that they are doing this, without actually checking their product. Thanks for posting this.
I have had the same problem with this awful product, it was like something was growing between my teeth, disgusting! I ended up finding a quick teeth whitening solution here: http://www.goobagifts.com/whiteteeth but it was a nightmare until then!
HI, First of all pour their mouthwash down the drain and get rid of it. The way I got the brown stains OFF my teeth was to take dental floss and dip it in Pearl Dropps Toothpaste (it is gentle & whitens), then floss the stains off bit by bit between my teeth. Then I also dried my teeth with a piece of paper towel and then put some Pearl Dropps Toothpaste on a small piece of paper towel and hand-polished my teeth as they were almost dry, into whiteness again. I was happy I found a way to ‘do it myself’ without harming my teeth or gums. (My Mother was a Dental Assistant so I knew a few things about being respectful of ones’ teeth and going slowly and carefully re: home-cleaning. Use clean new paper towel and be mindful as you put your toothpaste thickly on your dental floss that all is clean clean and clean. ) Really though this awful mouthwash product should NOT be sold anywhere ever again. I give it a F minus.
Hey everyone,
I too had greenish stains after using mouthwash. I was using the Walmart/Target version which was tinted green. I was greatly alarmed when I noticed the stains growing almost like a fungus or so it seemed. I stopped using it when reading that others had similar experiences. I assumed it was the coloring added to the product. I switched to Crest Pro-Health since it’s clear. However, the stains have returned with a vengeance! I have a dental cleaning scheduled for this week. From what I’m finding in searches, this isn’t uncommon. I’m totally done with mouthwashes! On a positive note, the staining is easily cleaned by a dentist. Good luck.
This product is terrible! After using this mouth wash for two months, I got horrible brown stains inbetween my teeth and along the gumline. Luckily, I saw the feedback posted here and stopped using it approximately 1 month before my dental cleaning.
The stains were easily removed at the dentist. However, I still find it appalling that Crest refuses to state the potential side effects on the bottle. I’m never using a Crest product again after this experience.
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