On July 9, 2013 I received my third Influenster box with a bottle of Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield Mouthwash, which I posted about the next morning on Instagram because we pick up the mail very late at night sometimes.
When I had received the email that I had qualified for this particular VoxBox I was a little nervous because I have only used one brand and flavor mouthwash for at least the last decade and the decade prior to that it had been the same brand but different flavor (I stopped being able to find the original flavor which is why the new flavor was picked up). I am very picky with what goes in my mouth because I have a very limited flavor profile that I like the taste of. My husband even joked that I was going to "hate it" before the box even got here. But I like peppermint mocha frappuccinos and peppermint hot chocolates from Starbucks so I figured this would be alright.
The bottle makes five claims, three of which would require a dentist to truly know if it was achieving those, two of which I can address. Please remember this is just my experience with the product and your's may be completely different.
First, what the card that came with the box states:
Front of card:
New
Colgate Total
Mouthwash
Please disclose in all online communication that you received this product complimentary
Compliments of INFLUENSTER
i
Back of card:
Introducing New Colgate Total
Advanced Pro-Shield Mouthwash!
- Kills 99% of germs
- Significantly reduces plaque
- Helps prevent gingivitis
- No burn of alcohol
- Freshens breath
12
HOUR
PROTECTION
EVEN AFTER EATING
AND DRINKING
*Results improve with continued
twice daily use
As an elite influenster, you'll test, review, and share the latest product from Colgate Total. Inside this box is your best defense against germs, plaque, and bad breath! Now that's something to smile about.
Get Started Now!
1. Login to your influenster profile, check-in your box, and check your email fro program details.
2. Test, review, and put your mouthwash to work! Get chatty with the #ColgateTotalMW hashtag.
Stay up-to-date: Like use on Facebook.com/influenster and follow @influensterVox on Twitter
Now, what is on the bottle:
Front of bottle:
NEW
ALCOHOL FREE
Colgate
Antigingivitis/Antiplaque Mouthwash
Total
ADVANCED
PRO-SHIELD
12-HR Protection Against Germs
- Kills 99% of germs*
- Significantly reduces plaque
- Helps prevent gingivitis
- No burn of alcohol
- Freshens breath
Peppermint Blast
Back of bottle:
Drug Facts
Active Ingredient Purpose
Cetylpyridinium chloride 0.075% Antigingivitis/antiplaque
Uses helps prevent and reduce plaque and gingivitis
Warnings
Ask a dentist if condition persists or worsens after regular use.
Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age.
If more than used for rinsing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact Poison Control Center right away.
Directions
adults and children 12 years of age and older
- rinse for 30 seconds with 20 mL (4 teaspoons) twice a day. Do not swallow.
- supervise use
- do not use
Inactive ingredients
water, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, poloxamer 407, flavor, potassium sorbate, citric acid, sodium saccharin, FD&C blue no. 1
Other Information
this rinse is not intended to replace brushing or flossing
store at 59 F to 77 F
keep from freezing
Questions? 1-800-468-6502
CAP SEALED WITH PRINTED BAND
In some cases, antimicrobial rinses may cause surface staining to teeth, This is not permanent or harmful, and may be prevented by adequate brushing or removal at your next dental visit.
*Based on laboratory test
Dist. by
Colgate-Palmolive Company
New York, NY 10022
MADE IN U.S.A. www.colgatetotal.com
Now on with the review:
The two things claimed on the bottle and card that I can actually test are:
Whether or not this mouthwash made my mouth burn (whether by alcohol or not, some mouthwashes burn anyway).
Whether or not this freshened my breath (I tested this by trying it in the morning before brushing my teeth to see if it removed any taste and scent to my breath on its own.)
Before I received this I had decided I would give it a minimum of two weeks before writing a review on it, because I wanted to make sure that I had fully tested it. I lasted 8 or 9 days and had to skip a couple near the end because of how much this was hurting my mouth. So on the first count of "no burn" this completely failed for me. I had to stop using it because it actually made my tongue hurt to the point that I couldn't eat even several hours after use and so we decided there must be something in this that I am reacting to.
I asked my husband to try the mouthwash because he is less sensitive to spicy things and even he said it seemed to have an over powering mint taste to it and he normally uses a minty mouthwash, although not this one.
Given that even my husband doesn't want to finish off the bottle just due to the taste/burn of it, makes it so that I cannot recommend. If it had just been a problem for me I would have said "people who like spicy foods might be okay with this" but at this point I am not sure who would be able to tolerate this (I have not looked at any other reviews for this product, I am sure there are plenty of people who can use this, and if there are, I am impressed with there ability to tolerate the burn.)
As to whether or not this freshened my breath, I don't really think so, it just made it smell different, for less than an hour after I used it, but only if I had already brushed and flossed which means it really wasn't removing odor on its own. Most bad breath problems actually come from the digestive tract (as someone with IBS this is a constant battle for me so I do actually know a good bit about this) and so brushing and mouthwash only help for limited periods of time and more like a perfume than actually solving the problem. Odor problems can stem from the bacteria in the mouth, but only brushing will actually lift the bacteria and loosen it from the teeth and tongue (I highly recommend brushing your tongue if you are not already). The main function of mouthwash is to get out of your mouth the bacteria that has been loosened, but not already removed, by brushing, which is why rinsing with water helps remove odor.
As to whether the ingredients included actually kill germs, reduce plaque, and prevent gingivitis, only a trained dentist would be able to tell you that. Given how long mouthwashes have been around it probably does help, but given that my dental hygienist rinses my mouth with water after a cleaning, I am guessing a really good brushing would be enough if we were all actually brushing as well as we should be.
If you have read this far then it should be pretty obvious I would not buy this on my own after the limited use I have had with this sample. This does not mean that I think all people would have the same problems I do, but if you have even the slightest sensitivity to things that are spicy, I would be very cautious about trying this. The description of Peppermint Blast should be a warning. It didn't really taste like peppermint to me and my husband said it just tasted of mint, but it does blast the tongue pretty hard.
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