Last week I developed a pretty good cold and irritated throat.  I’ve been slowly getting better although with the stuffed up sinuses the mouthpiece has had to sit out on the nightstand and wait for me to get better.  I tried to use it one night, but only got through a few hours before everything clogged up and I ended spitting it out.  Then the thought struck me… maybe this is a bacterial vs a viral infection.  Up until I had kids, I didn’t really care what “type of cold” I had, I just knew I was sick!  Anyway, this one was a little more persistent and I thought if it was a bacterial infection, could those germs possibly be on my mouthpiece as well?  I do usually perform a little ritual which I’ve mentioned before where I use a toothbrush and toothpaste to scrub my mouthpiece each night before use.  I’m sure I’ve killed most of the bacterial, but I still wondered whether I should be soaking it in some alcohol/mouthwash bath or even something better.  After a few searches online and reading about people concerned with bleaching their CPAP machines after getting a Strep infection, I found there were a few different devices specifically for sanitizing and disinfecting sports mouthpieces using UV light and some that even used ozone ions.  For $50 I identified one that ran off batteries and used both UV and Ozone technologies to clean the mouthpiece.  This is what it looks like:

The page on the Sport’s Authority website has the following description for the product info….

“The Brain-Pad® NatureZone™ UV/Ozone mouth guard case utilizes ozone ions (a proven international hospital sanitizing technology) and ultra-violet light to break down and destroy bio-pathogens found on and in oral appliances, including: sport mouth guards, retainers, night guards, veneers, and dentures.”

There was even one review on the site that gave the product 5 stars and mentioned that it took away any bad taste or smell.

Later on I found the manufacture’s website which confirmed that it would indeed within 3 minutes kill Strep, E. coli, Staph and other harmful bacteria.  I’m pretty excited for the product to arrive.  I like the idea that it is battery powered, which I can easily take with me on vacations and camping without having to worry about finding an outlet or drag along a power cord.

Once I have my product, I’ll plan to record and post my own unbiased review.