1,760 of 1,829 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A biologist's opinion, December 4, 2007
This review is from: Philips Sonicare UV Sanitizer (Health and Beauty)
I have a biology background and the good news is that this amount of UV light is going to have the desired effect on the bacteria that live in your toothbrush head. It will induce many double strand breaks in the bacterial DNA, making it hard or impossible for them to grow. It will have no lasting harmful effects on the brush because no chemicals/toxins are used. My understanding is that there is a shut-off to prevent humans from being exposed to the UV light, which is a good thing as UV light will interfere with human DNA in the same way that it damages bacterial DNA. However, I would like to point out a few things:
1, The detergent in your toothpaste (variously called sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, etc) will probably be effective enough at getting rid of bacteria -- that's why we use it.
2, The bacteria are already in your mouth anyway! How do you think your toothbrush head is getting contaminated in the first place?
3, People have survived very happily without wasting money on idiotic gadgets like this.
4, The bacteria that are NOT killed by this treatment are more likely to be mutated. It's a biological fact that UV light increases the number of DNA mutations. While most bacteria will be killed, the 0.01% that survive are more likely to have suffered mutations. This is not true for cell-disruptive methods of destruction like bleach and detergent (including the detergent in your toothpaste).
To summarize, dentists use this sort of gizmo because they're putting the same tools into the mouths of many different people. They don't want to get sued, especially in light of reports suggesting that certain diseases may be passed through saliva. However, this gizmo is completely unnecessary if you do not share your brushheads with other people. In fact, it's not even necessary if you share your brushheads with people you wouldn't mind kissing...
Lastly, please bear in mind that not all bacteria are bad and that you actually need some to help you digest food properly. Also, good bacteria take up space and resources to keep bad bacteria from finding a niche. So, try NOT to use 'antibacterial' soap, do eat some live active yogurt after a course of antibiotics and always completely finish a course of antibiotics that you've been prescribed by a doctor.
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119 of 133 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Use Hydrogen Peroxide Instead!, June 25, 2008
This review is from: Philips Sonicare UV Sanitizer (Health and Beauty)
There is a much cheaper alternative to this product.
Go to the drug store and buy a quart bottle of hydrogen peroxide. It should cost about $.99. Then put your toothbrush in a glass filled half way with the hydrogen peroxide for about an hour or over night if you have the time. At the end of the hour you will have a disinfected toothbrush. You will notice that bubbles will form around the toothbrush as the hydrogen peroxide disinfects it.
I have read that hydrogen peroxide degrades in sunlight. That is why they put it in a dark colored bottle. I just leave my toothbrush in the hydrogen peroxide over night with the lights off. I try to flex the bristles a few times also to make sure it penetrates into the bristles. Remember, hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer / bleach and is used to whiten teeth. I am not a rocket scientist but I do know that bacteria and viruses don't like the stuff at all. It is also used as a rocket fuel, so don't go mixing it with the chemicals from your son's chemistry set. :) Other than that, the use of hydrogen peroxide should be uneventful and will get the disinfecting job done at minimal cost.
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86 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
An Unnecessary Gadget, November 23, 2007
This review is from: Philips Sonicare UV Sanitizer (Health and Beauty)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Philips Sonicare sounds like a great idea - keeping your toothbrush free from germs on a daily basis. However, this can be done by simply dipping your toothbrush in a solution of hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol (however, rubbing alcohol does not taste good). In addition, this product only works with Sonicare and Oral-B brushes. Regular toothbrushes and other product names don't work with this machine. It's a clean looking machine, but for the money and the space on your bathroom counter, I'd don't think this is much more than a cool gadget. Besides, what do you do when the bulb burns out?
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