Straight Teeth Talk

Though fillings do crack and decay over time, you rarely need all of them replaced at once. Some dentists claim that old silver fillings need to be removed for safety reasons, because they leech mercury, but that idea is a myth.

There is enough fluoride in our drinking water and in over-the-counter toothpastes to prevent cavities in most people, so additional fluoride from a dentist is additional cost, with little benefit.

Origin of Crest Toothpaste

The major ingredient in Crest was discovered by accident when a student left a sample in the furnace too long and when discovered, found that it made it possible to mix the ingredient with fluoride. At first it used stannous fluoride, marketed as "Fluoristan" (this was also the original brand name it was sold as. Later it changed from "Fluoristan" to "Crest with Fluoristan"). The composition of the toothpaste had been developed by Drs. Muhler, Harry Day, and William H. Nebergall at Indiana University, and was patented by Nebergall.

Procter & Gamble paid royalties from use of the patent and thus financed a new dental research institute at the university. The active ingredient of Crest was changed in 1981 to sodium monofluorophosphate, or "Fluoristat". Today Crest toothpastes use sodium fluoride, or "Dentifrice with Fluoristat". Recently introduced Crest Pro-Health, uses stannous fluoride again and an abrasive whitener together called "Polyfluorite".