Rayshell Clapper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
If you were to search for the definition of polyethylene in the Oxford Dictionary, this is what would come up: “A tough, light, flexible synthetic resin made by polymerizing ethylene, chiefly used for plastic bags, food containers, and other packaging.” In other words, polyethylene is plastic.
Most people are comfortable with plastic in their food containers, their trashcans or even in their hair brushes, but not many would like to have plastic in their toothpaste, right? Well, Crest, a product of Proctor & Gamble, puts polyethylene in its popular toothpastes including such pastes like Crest MultiCare Whitening. However, Proctor & Gamble recently announced that within six months all tubes of its toothpaste with the plastic beads in it will be off the shelf as reported by UPI.
Now, if these plastic microbeads served a purpose, many users would probably not be quite as concerned, but UPI explains that the polyethylene is in the toothpaste purely for decorative purposes only. On top of that, DentalBuzz points out that the box does not list the ingredients of the toothpaste. That’s pretty curious, right? Trish Walraven, the author of the DentalBuzz article agreed, so she, a dental hygienist, tested the plastic microbeads and found that the little blue specks of plastic that are overwhelmingly present in the toothpaste do not dissolve in acetone, alcohol, or in the mouth. Why is this a problem?
According to Walraven, “Around our teeth we have these little channels in our gums, sort of like the cuticles around our fingernails. The gum channel is called a sulcus, and it’s where diseases like gingivitis get their start. A healthy sulcus is no deeper than about 3 millimeters, so when you have hundreds of pieces of plastic being scrubbed into your gums each day that are even smaller than a millimeter, many of them are getting trapped.” This means that the sulcus is more vulnerable to disease, bacteria, and other dental health issues.
All this just for decorative purposes?
On top of the health concerns that come with polyethylene in our toothpaste, the plastic is a major environmental concern because the plastic is not biodegradable and never breaks down. It just gets smaller and smaller and lasts practically forever according to WCPO Cincinnati. So the plastic microbeads included just for decorative purposes could, and likely do, damage gums and teeth as well as the environment. Clearly, these reasons explain why dental hygienists and consumers alike are concerned about the plastic in their toothpaste.
DentalBuzz and WCPO Cincinnati listed some of the Crest brands that definitely have polyethylene in them:
• Crest 3D White Radiant Mint
• Crest Pro-Health For Me
• Crest 3D White Arctic Fresh
• Crest 3D White Enamel Renewal
• Crest 3D White Luxe Glamorous White
• Crest Sensitivity Treatment and Protection
• Crest Complete Multi-Benefit Whitening Plus Deep Clean
• Crest 3D White Luxe Lustrous Shine
• Crest Extra White Plus Scope Outlast
• Crest SensiRelief Maximum Strength Whitening Plus Scope
• Crest Pro-Health Sensitive + Enamel Shield
• Crest Pro-Health Clinical Gum Protection
• Crest Pro-Health For Life for ages 50+
• Crest Complete Multi-Benefit Extra White+ Crystal Clean Anti-Bac
• Crest Be Adventurous Mint Chocolate Trek
• Crest Be Dynamic Lime Spearmint Zest
• Crest Be Inspired Vanilla Mint Spark
• Crest Pro-Health Healthy Fresh
• Crest Pro-Health Smooth Mint
That totals 19 different Crest toothpaste brands containing the decorative plastic microbeads. On top of that, some smaller companies and brands of toothpaste also use polyethylene in their pastes. UPI acknowledges that the FDA has approved the use of polyethylene in foods and healthcare products, but dentists and dental hygienists are definitely concerned about their presence. Just because the FDA approves their use does not mean that their use is a good idea. Currently, the American Dental Association (ADA) has no plans to rescind its seal of approval from Crest products, although it does acknowledge that it will “continue to monitor and evaluate new scientific information on this issue as it becomes available.”
WCPO Cincinnati reporter Maxim Alter was provided a statement from the spokesperson at Proctor & Gamble saying that Crest currently has toothpastes without the plastic microbeads. “The majority of our product volume will be microbead-free within six months,” the spokesperson said. “We will complete our removal process by March of 2016.”
As of now, the ADA recommends that consumers follow the FDA’s recommendations on the use of dental health care products. Many people will likely go a step further and avoid the plastic decorations in their toothpastes.
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