"To make matters worse, we keep our toothbrush in the out house, "reveals Glass, who is also professor of pathology at Oklahoma State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. "The bathroom may be inside now, but it is clearly the most unsanitary room of the house.Every time you flush, you propel the germs in your toilet into the air where they can land on your nice, wet toothbrush."

 This recommendation is at odds with the American Dental Association's counsel that toothbrushes should be changed "every 3-4 months or sooner if the bristles become frayed."Most Americans don't even do that, replacing their brushes on average only twice a year.

 But Glass's research reveals that 66% of the initially rounded bristles of your toothbrush become pointed, "tiny little needles" in as little as two weeks of use. The sharp tips can cause tiny lacerations in the gums that allow infections to enter the body. Electric-powered brushes with old bristles can make matters even worse because they're harder on gums. "It'.s almost impossible to determine how many people are getting sick from their toothbrushes, but in my practice I've found that just changing the toothbrush alone can reduce the disease process in 25% of my patients,"says Glass. "I take all my patients suffering from chronic infectious diseases off their electric toothbrushes to prevent them from re-infecting themselves,"

But Glass's findings don't support that contention."No one has ever refuted any of my science, and I stand by it," he counters."I'd like to review their research." Put your money where your mouth is! While changing your brush every two weeks may seem like an unnecessary expense to some, Glass points out that antibiotics to treat periodontal infections cost easily as much or more.The cost of buying a couple dozen new toothbrushes each year also pales in comparison to the money you can spend treating more serious illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, ulcersand pneumonia -all of which have significant correlations to gum disease.