PHOENIX, AZ.- The toothpaste you use every morning could be causing you some mouth problems.
Trish Walraven, a dental hygienist in Phoenix, noticed something strange in the mouths of many of her patients. At first, she didn’t realize what it was, but after her and other dentists were seeing it repetitively she finally figured out that it was miniature micro beads called polyethylene.
Fox News reported the little blue dots in your toothpaste, polyethylene, is actually a plastic used in things like garbage containers, grocery bags, bullet proof vests, even knee replacements and now in your toothpaste.
Walraven said Crest toothpaste seems to use the plastic microbeads more than others. Crest toothpaste is sold in many stores in Mississippi and there’s probably thousands of people in the state that have the product and are using it every morning. If you use Crest toothpaste or any other kind of toothpaste check the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t use Polyethylene.
Polyethylene can trap bacteria in your gums leading to gingivitis and could even lead to periodontal diseases.
In a statement the Crest manufacturer said, “While the ingredient in question is completely safe, we understand there is a growing preference for us to remove the ingredient. So we will.”
