Do you need to change your toothbrush after a cold?

I've been suffering thru a bout of the flu this last week, and I have to admit one of the things on my mind is whether or not I need to change my toothbrush when I get better. After all, isn't that the likeliest source of reinfection? An article on slate suggests, that may not be the case.

Once you've been infected with a particular strain of a virus, you develop antibodies that make the likelihood of re-infection very low. Even if the virus were still hanging out on your toothbrush after you recovered—colds and flus can survive there in an infective state for anywhere from a few hours to three days—those antibodies should keep you from contracting the same illness twice. Your toothbrush is no more dangerous while you're still sick, since the viral load on the bristles is negligible compared with what's already in your system.

I must admit while this makes sense to me, I am still likely to change the brush sooner than later. The idea of brushing with an infected brush is unpleasant, at best.

Are dental drills a thing of the past?

There is no sound more full of memories than the dentist's drill. The noise is unique and linked in our memories to at least discomfort, and in many cases actual pain. But new technology may finally make that noise a thing of the past, replacing it with "cold plasma".

The benefits are huge. The drill is not only loud, but it’s extremely invasive and damaging, and can actually cause more problems then it solves. Researchers have discovered a way to make something called “cold plasma” which will actually sterilize a tooth instead of grinding out the damaged tissue. To be honest, researchers aren’t entirely sure exactly how the plasma works to destroy the bacteria, but they are able to determine that a burst of about 12-18 seconds will completely eliminate the problem.

Can diet heal cavities?

During the last year, I have been quite focussed on my diet, but really with an eye toward weight loss than larger nutritional issues. Of course, this means I am eating a LOT more vegetables and fruits, and have been feeling better. But it never occurred to me that diet could affect my dental health (with, of course, the exeption of more sugar meaning more cavities). But at least one doctor is claiming that a diet low in grains and high in calcium can reverse tooth decay.

In group 1, oatmeal prevented healing and encouraged new cavities, presumably due to its ability to prevent mineral absorption. In group 2, simply adding vitamin D to the diet caused most cavities to heal and fewer to form. The most striking effect was in group 3, the group eating a grain-free diet plus vitamin D, in which nearly all cavities healed and very few new cavities developed. Grains are the main source of phytic acid in the modern diet, although we can't rule out the possibility that grains were promoting tooth decay through another mechanism as well.

Dr. Mellanby was quick to point out that diet 3 was not low in carbohydrate or even sugar: "Although [diet 3] contained no bread, porridge or other cereals, it included a moderate amount of carbohydrates, for plenty of milk, jam, sugar, potatoes and vegetables were eaten by this group of children."

I am skeptical, but it seems like something worth looking into.

Crest Pro-Health can brown your teeth

I never had a big issue with bad breath (or else my friends failed to point it out) so it was not until relatively recently that I started thinking about mouthwash. Specifically, it was when my dentist began recommending it to patients as a supplement to brushing (NOT a replacement, I was told 10 times in one visit) to help ensure against gum disease. Well, I hated the smell and taste of listerine and liked the idea of an alcohol-free mouthwash. So I invested in Crest Prohealth. I decided this week to change brands after reading this horror story which is repeated by many, many reviewers on Amazon.Com

At the beginning mouthwash was fine. Nice not having the alcohol burn and the breath, that my girlfriend hated. So that was nice.
But after extended use for a month it stained in between my teeth brown. It looked terrible and it cost me a one hundred dollar trip to the dentist to scrape that junk off. The dentist advised that it was my mouthwash after hearing it was this Crest mouthwash that I was using.

Again, click over to Amazon.Com for more horror stories. It sounds like, in general, occasional use is not an issue, but if you plan to use it more than once or twice a week, you risk the dreaded brown smile. I am trying ACT! now, so we'll see how it goes.