• USA Today, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 11:45 AM

Marketers such as Procter & Gamble are trying to expand growth in the oral care arena by hitching on to two big consumer trends: health and vanity. They are offering myriad "adjunct" products that include pre- and post-brushing rinses, a whitening "booster" gel that's squeezed on top of ordinary toothpaste and a new "weekly use" paste that mimics the tooth polishing that dentists provide.

P&G's Crest Weekly Clean, which hits store shelves this month, is a once-a-week "intensive cleaning paste" to "complement" regular brushing. P&G touts its silica ingredient as a polisher that's "similar to what dentists use and provides your teeth with a smooth, clean feeling."

Arm & Hammer's $4.99 Whitening Booster, launched in April, is a peroxide gel that is added on top of the toothpaste on your brush. And store shelves are lined with whitening rinses from brands including Scope and Listerine. While sales of harder-to-use whitening products such as strips placed on the teeth are slowing, whitening rinses are a growth area, says market tracker Mintel.

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