If you're old enough, you remember this stuff, rust brown and murky. My Dad used to apply it on a swab to my throat whenever I got a sore throat. It was an all-purpose antiseptic, going on scrapes and cuts in liberal swathes.
It turns out my dentist is insane. She suggested very strongly that I use a Betadine solution in my Waterpik, which I use to irrigate under the gums as a measure against gingivitis. But I use a product called Peroxyl, which is sort of like Listerine, with Hydrogen Peroxide in it's mix. Apparently that's not toxic enough. "We use Betadine here when we scale teeth. Just mix it four-to-one with water."
So I dutifully got some (after the second check-up, when she insisted again). And tonight I tried it out. That is the most foul substance in the Universe! I was spitting for the next hour, and my mouth still feels unnatural. I won't be doing that every night.
dpwakefield,
ReplyDeleteIt turns out your dentist is not insane. Rather she has her patients' best interests at heart. Apparently she feels that you are prone to tooth decay. Recent studies suggest that one one minute rinse with Betadine will kill all the bugs that are responsible for causing cavities for a period of 3 months. It is foul, not sooooooo much to the taste as to the smell. Although I haven't heard of brushing or WaterPik'ing with it, rinsing with it is becoming more and more an accepted modality of preventing dental decay. Try by rinsing with your head over the sink and tilted forward. This will prevent a lot of the nasty smell which is a large element of the taste. Thank her when your next checkup finds you without dental decay.
Dr. Joe Hale
Not tooth decay, but a tendency to bone loss in the jaw. Pockets around the roots of my teeth. Hence the Waterpik and the Betadine. Thanks for the independent confirmation, though.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I looked you up on Google, and it seems you are in Akron, Ohio. I went to school at the University of Akron, got a degree in C.S. there. My wife and I lived in an apartment in Cuyahoga Falls. Sound familiar? ;^)~