Staining from PerioPlus Periodontal mouth rinse.

Hi Doctor Hall,
After 2 days of using Perioplus Maintenance rinse (after gum surgery), I’ve noticed some staining on my brand new dental work , constisting of crowns and bridgework. Is there anything I can do to bring the color back to the original? Help! Thank-you , Diane

Dear Diane,
I had to do a little research for this one, because I haven’t heard of this product before. And I confirmed my suspicions. They downplay it and don’t even mention it on the product label, but this product contains chlorhexidine. They call the label a “nutritional” label, and since chlorhexidine is an antibacterial agent and not a nutritional ingredient, I guess that makes it so they don’t have to disclose that.

This is not to be too critical – it’s just that I think they should mention that on the label. Chlorhexidine is an excellent anti-bacterial agent, and has been prescribed by periodontists and general dentists for years as Peridex. I had occasion to prescribe it a number of times. It attaches to the soft tissue and protein pellicle on the teeth and has a long-lasting antibacterial activity that very effectively fights gum infection and inflammation. But it has a nasty side-effect, which is brown staining on the teeth and dental work. That may be why they’re a little timid about admitting this.

There is an easy solution, and that is Supersmile toothpaste. Supersmile has an enzyme – calprox – that dissolves away the protein pellicle and as far as I am aware, is one of only two ways to eliminate and prevent this stain. An aggressive pumice polishing of the teeth by a dental hygienist, or Supersmile toothpaste – those are the two ways to deal with this stain. Whenever I gave a prescription of chlorhexidine rinse, I insisted that the patient purchase Supersmile, because that brown stain can become positively ugly.

You can buy Supersmile directly from the manufacturer (Robell products in New York City). Or we offer it for a discount on our website. We’ve dropped the price to where we just cover our costs, because it is such a unique toothpaste with unique benefits. It does get rid of this stain, when used on a daily basis, and it is also great for maintaining cosmetic dental work.

Thanks,
Dr. Hall