Hi Ellie!
Here I am again – three months later! I’ve been using your system and loving it. My teeth feel so clean, my gums are nice and pink, and that little bump that I thought might have been an abscess is almost nonexistent!
So here’s my latest question for you…
I bought some Crest Regular toothpaste recently. The other day I ran out of the Crest Regular that I’d been using and when I opened one of the new tubes, I noticed the paste was white instead of blue. Then I looked more closely at the packaging and saw that the newer toothpaste was Regular ‘Anti-Cavity’, not ‘Cavity Protection.’ The ingredients are identical but the white paste does not have the ADA endorsement and the text is slightly different regarding ‘Use.’
I contacted Crest about this (twice) and could not get a straight answer about what the difference is between the two ‘Regulars’ besides naming semantics, no ADA endorsement, and paste color. Basically, I was trying to figure out if I need to discard the six tubes of Anti-Cavity paste that I unwittingly bought in error. I can’t help but add that Crest’s customer service responses are wretched for a Fortune 500 company. The basic reply was that if I wanted to know the difference between the two, go read about their products on their web site – without even the courtesy of providing a link to the site! (I spent almost 20 minutes looking at all the toothpaste products – they barely even acknowledge Regular Crest, let alone provide a description of the Anti-Cavity version.)
Now that I’ve subjected you to all my crabbing (sorry!!!), could you let me know if I should avoid the Regular Anti-Cavity white paste? There’s just something creepy here – why would they make the same formulation (assuming it is the same but no blue coloring) and make the packaging almost identical with a barely perceptible word change? I find it odd!!! I’m sure you’ve been asked this before but just for grins, I’m including images of what the boxes look like. In a store, since they aren’t placed side-by-side, it would be difficult to know you were buying the wrong one!
Thanks for reading all of this!!!
I hope you’re enjoying the summer!
J
Hi J,
Let’s post this on my blog.
I have noticed the same thing – and I returned the second tube of white paste – and only use the blue now.
I don’t have an answer to your question – I assume it is a fake – but I don’t know for sure.
I only buy and sell the blue kind for customers purchasing kits from my website.
It is weird isn’t it that they look sooooo similar. The new Colgate paste also looks nearly the same – are we scaring them?
Someone out there – do you know more about this??
Ellie
Categories: Uncategorized
Just ran over to check my Crest as I never really pay attention to the color and fortunately it is blue. I get a pack of 3 once a year at Target usually in the Fall at a good price. Closys now has a paste w/floride that I'm thinking may benefit those of us primarily trying to maintain good gum health. Any thoughts?
Hi Ellie — In your blog, you ask, "Someone out there – do you know more about this??"I don't know anything, but I can make an educated guess: Crest is in the process of phasing out Cavity Protection. If so, then soon only the Anti-Cavity will be available.I hope that's wrong, but it's my guess. If I were on the system, I'd immediately lay in a big supply of Cavity Protection.You're busy, Ellie. No need to reply.
Anonymous 1: I think this would be my next suggestion.I also plan to try out the new Closys with fluoride.Ellie
Hi Dr. Ellie,I do hope that you and Anonymous2 are wrong in your speculation. I did stock up just in case; my grocer is running a dollar a 6.4oz tube sale just this week.A visit to crest.com has me believing we might be looking at a packaging change. Our cavity-protection paste (not the impostor anti-cavity) is classified as one of three "Classic toothpastes" and is pictured in new, more updated-looking packaging. I believe it is the same paste, down to the ADA seal. See: http://www.crest.com/crest-products/cavity-protection-toothpaste.aspx Click on enlarge image.The anti-cavity is not represented at all on the site, nor have I seen it myself. It sounds like a Chinese manufactured import, much as Gleem (also a P&G paste) is now. My $0.02Best, KKC
My crest has always been blue, but I have always purchased it from drugstore.com, target and Publix.I did however run into this crest white paste you all are talking about … it was at the Dollar Store here in Florida.I do believe it is an overseas fake.