I am a little neurotic when it comes to oral hygiene.
Ever since my son got his first teeth I have been diligently following the oral care guidelines set out by my healthcare practitioners… swabbing his gums and washing his teeth with a soft cloth as an infant, then on to brushing twice daily and he’s never taken bottles to bed. He even went to the dentist for the first time when he was less than a year old because I’d been advised to take him 6 months after his first teeth come in.
Now that he’s 3 we’re working harder on getting regular flossing into his routine and were looking for ways to make oral care something kind of fun.
We recently saw some TV ads for Listerine mouth washes for kids… they have a product called Listerine Agent Cool Blue that works like those awful little red tablets we had when we were kids that would discolour the plaque so kids could see it to brush it off and measure their effectiveness at brushing. They also have a product called Listerine Smart Rinse to be used after brushing to stick to remaining bacteria so they can see when they spit it out after rinsing.
He’s been using both for a few weeks now.
I have noticed in the last week or so that his teeth are really quite brown and I was wondering if I just hadn’t noticed this before or if they were turning darker. I even had my husband make a dentist appointment for him – though he can’t get in until mid October now. So I did a little web search and came up with some other testimonials of Listerine Smart Rinse turning kids’ teeth brown. Just check out the search results for “Listerine Smart Rinse brown teeth“.
Wow… do I ever wish I had searched this info before using my son as a test subject.
Now you can choose to chastise me for using a product that is for 6+ years on a 3 year old but the outcome would no doubt be the same on an older child.
We have obviously stopped using these products and I am going to do my best to spread this message to every concerned mother out there. This product is put out by Johnson & Johnson Inc. in Canada. The product packaging advises rinsing for a full minute after brushing… we’ve only been doing it for a count of 10. I can’t imagine how bad it would be if he had been rinsing for a full minute.
It seems the culprit is an ingredient called Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), which is known to cause tooth staining that looks similar to that caused by tobacco, coffee or tea and yet it is still included in a children’s mouth without any warnings at all.
Please pass this information on to other parents, and do not buy this product.
I only hope we can get his teeth white again.
Ugh, I had that from, ironically, whitening strips last year (but only on the inward-facing side, luckily). DOn’t worry the dentist can clean it off. It was so gross though. Hygienist didn’t believe me that it was from the strips though!
My daughter now has orange-y teeth, and I suspected this rinse to be the culprit. In the garbage with Listerine smart rinse!
Our daughter who is 6 yrs old has been using the same product, and now we are noticing the same browning. We could have died the other day when she said some kids in her class were making fun of her teeth being brown – We have been going crazy trying to figure out what it was, but would have never imagined that it was being caused by a product that is supposed to keep my girls teeth white!! This is very upsetting to us! Is there anything that will help get rid of the browining other than a dentist visit/cleaning? You can bet that Listerine will be getting a letter from us.
Smart Rinse has hit the UK – my 6 & 8 year old sadly have a gleaming set of brown teeth! – thanks Listerine! How long before you take this terrible product off the shelves?
Yes, I was horrified the first time that I used the product and found my teeth discolored.
I mean, what the heck are they thinking?
I am so glad i have found this page as I have been very concerned lately at my 10 year old son`s teeth are turning dark yellow and it is ever since I have been using this mouth wash.
His adult teeth are slightly yellow anyway but now they look
like he has smoke stained teeth. I know for sure he is no smoker.
I`ll never use any sort of mouth wash again on him.
I feel kind of angry in a way that they can sell this to parents when really is doing more harn than good.
The same thing has happened to my 8 year olds teeth. I am so worried and they are look horrible — at least we have found the cause, just hope I can find a cure…..
This has apparently been a KNOWN problem by Johnson & Johnson (makers of Listerine) and other manufacturers of similar products. In fact, Crest has been engaged in a lawsuit with consumers for staining caused by their ProHealth Rinse. I am enraged that they are still selling this product at all. There’s not even a warning on the bottle. I called J&J today and they OFFERED to pay for a professional cleaning on my daughter’s teeth. Companies do not offer to pay for services such as these unless they are GUILTY, and J&J knows they are. I certainly hope the cleaning works. My daughter’s teeth look horrible and she’s only used 1 bottle plus 1/3 of another. I hate to imagine what they would have looked like had I not done my own research and determined the cause. Just so everyone knows, the problem is a chemical called cetylpyridinium chloride. It is KNOWN by the manufacturers and some dental professionals to cause staining. Shame on them not only for using the ingredient but for not warning consumers.
One more thing – if you visit http://www.listerinekids.com, you’ll see a comment about potential staining caused by cetylpyridinium chloride. (Note: This does not appear anywhere on the product itself.) According to the website, they “do not expect staining because the level of cetylpyridinium chloride is so low.” Bull@#%* – the label on the product recommends that kids use it twice a day. My daughter only used it once a day, before bed, and her staining is SEVERE. Obviously, some people may experience problems and others may not, but why take the risk on something as important as your child’s teeth? And, from the research I’ve done, the staining appears to be much more prevalent that J&J may want to admit. Do your own web search and you’ll be amazed at how many stories you’ll find.
I’m of the opinion that one should never use a product like this anyway… seriously what kind of chemicals and dyes are they adding to create such a horrible product!! I would never pour this into my own mouth never mind my child’s. And we wonder why so many cancers are have become so commonplace….
My daughter has been using smart rinse for 6 months,her teeth are worse than a persons who have been smoking for years,the dentist put it down to antibiotics as a child.Lets pray now i know its smart rinse that the damage is irrevirsable…
As a follow-up, I thought I would post that my son’s dentist was able to remove the stains, so there is hope.
We have had the same problem with one of our children and have stopped using the product. We’re heading to the dentist on Monday and will be calling manufacturer on Monday as well. This is insane that they’re still producing this product and that dentists are still recommending to their patients. I think I’ll call the American Dental Association as well.
My ten year old son has used only 1/2 of a bottle of smart rinse over the last few months and overnight his teeth are brown!!! Is this company for real??? Anyone interested in a class action suit???? This product should be pulled off the shelves…. I am outraged!!!
I have been franticly looking for this mouthwash since we ran out. My daughter is very picky and doesn’t like change. I had noticed the browning of her teeth and never put two and two together. The good news is the dentist was able to remove the brown with her last cleaning. More importantly, are there any suggestions on replacements for this brand of mouthwash??
Like you Nailah, I have been searching for this product for two weeks with no luck. I have tried a few other mouth washes & my kids really like this one. I have gone to seven stores in my community to find it and it’s all gone. After searching for the product online, I am stunned to learn about the product. I have noticed my 7 year olds teeth turning but never suspected this was the culprit. I am very disappointed and will end my search. I guess I will need to get another recommendation on a rinse that I can trust!
I too have been searching for this product and could not find it anywhere. My one son only likes Smart Rinse. We got another product called Hector the Inspector, now I’m wondering if we should be using this one? I have not noticed staining in my boys teeth, one son is 7 and the other 9. Maybe it effects kids differently, but now I’m scared of them using any products. What do you guys think, are the other ones any safer? I’m going to have to look at the ingredients
and see if they have that staining ingredient.
My daughter has been using Listerine Smart rinse for a long time with no problems. She has problems with other mouthwashes though. And her teeth haven’t turned color after all this time.
Thank you all so much for your posts. I have been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how my 9-yr-old son’s teeth have become browner than his coffee drinking, cigar smoking grandfather. The more he would hear comments about his brown teeth, the more he would use his Listerine Cool Agent Blue to try to solve the problem. He looks like a smoker in his school pictures. I called J&J and they are sending a $5 check for the product. They said “well, people can say whatever they want on the Internet….” , “I don’t have a statement to make at this time…”, and, the best, “Would you like to receive emails about our other products?” I was told they don’t get very many calls about this and that you never know how certain people will react to products. I am not litigious, but do they think $5 covers months of taunting, 2 sets of ruined pictures and our visit next week to the dentist? I am so furious. Please know that I am so grateful, however, to have an answer to this; so many, many thanks for sharing your experiences. I felt like you wrote them for me!
I’m sorry Larissa… The dentist will be able to remove the staining though. But yeah… feel free to pass on the info to whomever you think might benefit from it. I don’t know the contents of the Cool Blue, but if it has the same stuff in it, it can cause the same staining. All the best to your son!
I wonder if its just kids teeth? I am a adult and I love the taste and how it makes my mouth feel fresh and clean. I have not noticed any staining.
I am so glad I saw this. My son just had braces put on and was using the Listerine Smart Rinse before going to bed and his teeth were worse then a smokers. I asked his dentist when he went in for a cleaning and the first question was if he used the Listerine Smart Rinse. Thankfully she was able to get his teeth nice and white. The Listerine is going in the trash!!!
I too can relate to the above complaints about Listerine Smart Rinse! I am very upset it is still on the shelves! I just called in and made a formal complaint about this stuff ruining my beautiful daughter’s teeth, because the upper and lower adult teeth are now brown! I called in and went through a series of questions, the lady said she would refund me a check for wow, 5 bucks! I then spoke to another woman whom took down more information for a medical report. I told her to take this product off the shelves because it is ruining children’s teeth! I was remaining calm and professional until she asked me how much I paid for the product, I answered 4.83 from Wal-Mart. She said I don’t know why they were going to send you a check for an even 5.00 I was outraged! I told her she better be glad I’m not asking for thousands of dollars and she needs to do the right thing by at least sending me the 17 cents pocket change for heaven sakes! People please keep spreading the word to family and friends and now I am putting it on Facebook and calling my dentist to let them know what has happened to my daughter’s teeth! Good luck folks and I am hoping J&J takes this horrible product of the market because they sure didn’t test it very well before letting our children use it!!! Upset in Ky.