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The FDA has issued a warning about Spinbrush toothbrushes, such as those shown here. Parts have flown off during use, causing cuts and chipping teeth.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer safety update Thursday about a brand of electric toothbrushes that's been found to chip teeth, cut gums and generally wreak havoc with your face.
Injuries reported from use of the battery-powered Spinbrush toothbrush, sold by both Arm & Hammer and Crest (before 2009), include chipped or broken teeth, cuts to the mouth and gums, injuries to the face and eyes and choking hazards thanks to broken pieces.
According to a consumer safety officer at the FDA, reports indicate that parts of the toothbrush have broken off during use, causing them to be "released into the mouth with great speed, causing broken teeth and presenting a choking hazard."
The Spinbrush, manufactured by Church & Dwight Co., Inc., comes in both adult and children's models under the following names: Spinbrush ProClean; Spinbrush ProClean Recharge; Spinbrush Pro Whitening; Spinbrush SONIC; Spinbrush SONIC Recharge; Spinbrush Swirl; Spinbrush Classic Clean, and Spinbrush for Kids.
All have the potential for injury, according to the FDA.
The adult Spinbrush model has a brush head that is removable and can be replaced. However, the brush head has popped off in some cases, exposing metal pieces that have poked users in the cheek and eye areas, causing injuries. The child's model, Spinbrush for Kids (which includes Spiderman and Thomas & Friends designs), does not come with a removable head, however, it, too, has caused problems, including cut lips, burns from the batteries, and bristles which have fallen off and lodged in a child's tonsils.
“We are particularly concerned about the problems with these toothbrushes as they appear to be geared towards children,” said Dr. Susan Runner, branch chief for Dental Devices in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The hazards that have been reported are potentially very serious, and parents should be aware of helping young children with tooth brushing both for safety reasons and for assuring adequacy of brushing.”
Last year, the FDA issued a warning to Church & Dwight Co Inc. based on an inspection which found numerous consumer complaints about the product that had not been reported to the agency. The manufacturer responded to the FDA warning by improving its labeling to caution consumers about changing the brush head after three months; adding bristles that changed color to help reminder consumers to swap out the brush head and issuing a safety notice in TV and print ads which warns that if the brush head is not replaced after three months' use or becomes damaged or loose that it "could lead to brush head breakage, generation of small parts and possible choking hazard."
In the safety alert issued today, the FDA advises parents, caregivers and consumers to inspect the Spinbrush before use for loose or damaged brush bristles and to make sure the brush head is connected tightly to the brush handle. If the brush head or bristles are loose (or damaged), the FDA says the Spinbrush should not be used and the issue should be reported to the manufacturer at 1-800-352-3384 or 1-800-561-0752.
In addition, the FDA advises Spinbrush users to never bite down on the brush head while brushing and to follow all instructions and recommended replacement guidelines for the product.
The FDA also recommends that anyone suffering an injury or problem with the Spinbrush contact the FDA's Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program by calling 1-800-332-1088 or using going to the website.
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Sounds like these brushes are manufactured in China.
Sounds like these brushes are manufactured in China.
Okay, wreak havoc with your face and your mouth? The last I checked, your teeth and gums are in your mouth. These sensationalized headlines bother me at times. Really MSNBC
We should take all these toothbrushes and send them as gifts to the talaban in Afghanistan.
FDA puts out warning on dangerous vibrator which causes chipped teeth in moronic users.
Chinese-made junk.
Have you heard the one about the stupid female who purchased a vibrator and knocked her teeth out with it? Maybe the FDA can look into that one!
Well I have to say that i have the Spinbrush Proclean, and it has not broken my teeth or made me choke. The brush hasn't even breaken yet. I've had the tooth brush for more than a year now and I think it is absolultly wonderful. I don't see how it would break, unless people are not taking care of it right; but even then i don't see how it would break.
A dentist will recommend anything that the supplyer will pay him for. Just brush twice a day and thats all you need to do.
hmmmm, ive used a spin brush since 2005, i just like the way it feels in my mouth and it encourages me to brush even longer because of the feel..............nothing has ever broken in my mouth or broken anything in my mouth...............what are these few people who have had a problem doing wrong...??? have they abused the tooth brush like dropping it or something to make it go wrong...?? i will continue to use my spin brush properly and expect nothing to go wrong.
it might also pay to change the heads ever so often, maybe things wont fall apart.
Regardless of the reports I have had a spinbrush for over a year and they are far superior to manual brushing. Obviously for those people that can afford a $100 toothbrush and/or a nice water pick that is the way to go but for $10 (as long as they aren't coming apart in your mouth obviously) the spinbrush is a good choice.
Everything today you buy is a hazard to your health in some respect==never had so much problems until company's moved to other countries.
I heard that it killed two other people in the room and then turned on the person brushing his teeth and then cut his juggler.Please brushing your teeth is for trained profisonals and spinnig tooth brushes can and often lead to death.the latest survey showed over 569,000 people died this year alone brushing there teeth.
I guess it depends on the person. I didn't like using a spinbrush so I don't.
That's terrible when we have to hear about this from the FDA instead of these family friendly companies.
Do not under-estimate the importance of flossing.
did this really need to be warned about in an article? People can't use their brain and say "spinning parts near the teeth, gums and tongue could cause harm" Duh gee if I touch a stove could it be hot?
You got to be smarter than the object you are working with............
go to false teetproblem solved.-----------awrighttttttttttttttt
not using them put them in ur pocket gals wear falsies, put teeth in pocket away from groin area, ouch
uwant teeth pulled cheap=go to western bar jusy say nobody in here tougher than me u get teeth removed, no charge instant sleep wow -----life is good
I hate electric brushes, but it has nothing to do with how clean/not clean my teeth are. The vibrations make my nose itch for almost an hour afterward. I'd rather just use the manual brush and save myself the annoyance. I always have a flosspick hanging out of my mouth when I'm lounging around the house anyway. A habit I picked up from my Grandfather.
Procter and Gamble also had a recall for Spinbrush all the same problems Although for some reason the FDA didn't make THEM do a class 1 recall. No media, no news, nothing but a quiet disappearance of Spinbrush off the shelf at all stores in the US. I wonder why Church and Dwight were treated so differently than Procter and Gamble. I would like to hear the FDA's explanation of that. I fear Corporate America is very corrupt, and we are too blind to see it.
I was just today, wondering why they gave US Electricity...you KNOW how dangerous that is for the PEONS too!
Who is "they"?
"Electricity" was first developed in the US for mass consumption. Tesla and Edison.
So not sure what your meaning about who "they" is that gave the US electricity.