For many, having an electric toothbrush is a must. But, consumers are now being warned that counterfeit toothbrushes, and toothbrush accessories, are flooding the market.
Electric toothbrushes have gained in popularity due to their improved cleaning ability over conventional toothbrushes. The only thing needed to maintain an electric toothbrush are replacement brush heads. As a result, dental care companies largely rely on the ongoing sales of replacement brush heads for their products. Not only do these brush heads tend to be expensive but they are specific to your electric toothbrush. Sometimes consumers choose generic replacement brush heads to save money over the name brands from Oral B, Colgate, and Phillips. More problematic are counterfeit replacement brush heads.
Counterfeit dental products are not manufactured to the same standards that brand name ones are. For example, quality brush bristles are typically made of nylon, but counterfeiters may incorporate plastic into the bristles. This small change creates a big difference in the bristle strength. Most dental professionals will recommend using a soft bristle brush, however with the incorporation of plastic the bristles can never be soft. This could later lead to unwanted dentist visits because using a counterfeit product could damage your roots, enamel and gums.
However, spotting counterfeit dental products from the real ones isn't as impossible as you'd think. Apart from the bristles, these fake brush heads are frequently flimsy and cheap. Counterfeit replacement toothbrush heads may lack individual serial numbers that the brands use to track each part. This would indicate that they were put together somewhere other than the brand's factory. You'll also notice that the brand logos don’t look right or scratch off rather easily. Even before purchasing online, try to observe any product images besides stock images to look for obvious differences such as color changes or bolded fonts. Chances are it's fake if even one thing doesn't match the brand's stock images. When purchasing online, it’s also important to consider that most counterfeit vendors will sell their products on Amazon as well as bargain sites such as Slickdeals, eBates, Groupon, and eBay
