Crest (toothpaste)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crest is a brand of toothpaste made by Procter & Gamble and sold worldwide. In many countries in Europe, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Romania, it is sold as Blend-A-Med, the name of an established German toothpaste acquired by P&G in 1987 (formerly Blendax GmbH, located in Mainz, Germany).
While toothpastes containing a fluoride as the active ingredient had already a long history [1] Crest was first introduced in the United States in 1955. At first it used stannous fluoride, marketed as "Fluoristan" (this was also the original brand name it was sold under—it was later changed from "Fluoristan" to "Crest with Fluoristan"). The composition of the toothpaste had been developed by Drs. Muhler, Day and Nebergall at Indiana University, and was patented by Nebergall. Procter and Gamble paid royalties from use of the patent and thus financed a new dental research institute at this university ("The House that Crest built")[2][3][4]. The active ingredient of Crest was changed in 1981 to sodium monofluorophosphate, or "Fluoristat". Today Crest toothpastes use sodium fluoride, or "Dentrifice with Fluoristat"; Crest Pro-Health, recently introduced to the market, uses stannous fluoride again and an abrasive whitener together called "Polyfluorite". Crest is noted by the American Dental Association (ADA) as an "effective decay-preventive dentifrice that can be of significant value,"[citation needed] as well as by equivalent dental associations in other countries.
The Crest brand has also been associated with about twenty brands of toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, and dental floss, as well as a tooth-whitening product called Crest Whitestrips. The original Crest logo was designed by Donald Deskey.
Contents |
[edit] Cavity Creeps (The Commercial)
From the late 1970s through the 1980s, Crest toothpaste made a series of animated TV advertisements depicting a city of Toothopolis beset by loathsome "Cavity Creeps." The hulkingly vascular Creeps stormed crowns and incisors, repetitively chanting "We make holes In teeth!" until rebuffed by the power of Crest toothpaste[5]. These commercials have seen a surge in popularity lately due to parody on such shows as Family Guy and South Park, and appearances on YouTube.[6]
[edit] The Name
The name of Crest toothpaste may have originated in Cincinnati by a P&G Vice President who lived on Crest Road.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ P. Meiers: History of fluoride dentifrices Accessed Jan. 31, 2009
- ^ Harry G. Day: Development of Chemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington 1829-1991, Bloomington 1992, pp. 355, 463-71
- ^ Davis Dyer et al.: Rising tide. Lessons from 165 years of brand building at Procter and Gamble, Procter and Gamble Co. 2004
- ^ Indiana University homepage Accessed Jan. 31, 2009
- ^ Cavity Creeps for Greentree Gazette, Feb. 2008
- ^ Cavity Creeps Commercial from YouTube
[edit] External links
- Product details and history of Crest toothpaste - from its manufacturer, Procter & Gamble
- Brand homepage
- Cavity Creeps commercial
|
|||||||||||
