I guess you can re-infect yourself with your own toothbrush?

[sunshines76]

Kind of a goofy question - but... I guess it's possible to reinfect yourself with your own toothbrush, right? I wonder how many "relapsers" actually got caught in this... I started using a new toothbrush every day now... What do you think - am I wasting money doing this or does it make sense?

[HCA]

No you can't.
The Heatitis C virus replicates in the liver,not in the blood,
A scrap of RNA on a roothbrush is dying.
In order to reinfect yourself with tour own toothbrush you would need to leave infected blood on the brush rhen spontaneously clear from your body all of the active virus in both your blood and also your liver cells ( a process that takes months).
The scrap of RNA on the brush would have to survive -which it can't-and then be reintroduced into your blood which is by now miraculously virus free.
The concept is a complete bon-starter ,although this is not the first time someone has speculated about it.

[sunshines76]

I am a little bit confused with this explanation. I am on tx now, my gums bleed when I brush my teeth. So I do get blood on toothbrush. How long can HCV survive on a toothbrush?

[HCA]

Between sixteen hours and four days.
You can only reinfect if you are no longer infected as I have explained above.
I cannot explain it more succintly.
If you re-read it carefully you will understand.

[copyman]

Although highly unlikely it is possible to re-infect your self, especially if your gums bleed. Once undetected it wouldn't hurt to change your toothbrush. For the few dollars it cost why take a chance.

Changing your toothbrush everyday is excessive and not necessary

[nygirl7]

If you dont have it you can't give it to yourself..........that is what HCA is saying.  What you are misinterpreting is prior to treatment when you are contagious it would be tehcnically possible to give it to someone else but the chances are so so low it wouldn't be worth worrying about anyway.  My kids used my toothbrush often enough I'm sure and both were negative.

You can't give yourself a disease you don't have - I guess technically you'd have to go UND one day and pick the disease up the next day or something crazy...not going to happen. AS copyman said maybe if it makes you feel better change the toothbrush once you are UND and be done with it until it's regular time to change it.

[chuckles333]

While on treatment your body is full of interferon and riba-virin. This stuff will last in your blood way more than the 1 to 4 days that HCV will last on your toothbrush. Let's assume that the day before EOT you still have one cell of HCV in your blood and this one cell by some miracle finds it's way onto your toothbrush. Now you have no more HCV in your body. At EOT you are clear of the virus. The next day ( the day after EOT) you brush your teeth. This one cell has survived!! It's found it's way back into your bloodsteam!! you've re-infected yourself!! Well I don't think this one cell would stand much of a chance with all of the stuff you'll have floating about in your system for the next six months. There's a better chance of me winning the lotto.

[Bali05]

never thought about the toothbrush thing.
although seemingly extremely unlikely who knows for sure
i think i am going to keep my dental tools
in a sterile solution from now on , easy to do and
can only be good

[copyman]

I see the logic that you can't re-infect yourself if you don't have it. What I was thinking is if the person was not getting the most sensitive pcr's and there were still some virons floating around in their blood.....oh never mind I'm just being obsessive :-)

[Rosebud41]

I buy my tooth brushes at the dollar store'.

I usually get 4 or 5 for a dollar (they're in a single package)

I don't know if you can or can't re-infect.

But, when they told me I was undetected to started the practice of disposable tooth

brushes. They get one shot and they're tossed.  If I can't get to the store I sterilize what I

have until I can't get my next bunch. Or if they're out  of the packs of multiple brushes

I sometimes soak what I have in a sterile solution overnight.

Until I can really figure it out for sure I will be using a toothbrush only once.

Say I'm paranoid I don't care...Say I'm wasteful I don't care.....

I'm going to read all of the posts above and if I'm convinced by one of my highly informed

experts I'll consider my actions.

I Love You All!!

One Brush Rosebud41

[becksta29]

well i was going to ask this question eventually anyway,i also have bleeding gums on tx,so i thought i could reinfect too.i dont use new 1 evday i have 10 tooth brushes and i take in turns of using them so when i use 1 it gets put away after a good rinse,then when i go thru 10 i repeat so that way i give virus time to die,im prob paranoid but i dont care rather b safe than sorry.

[YuK]

It wouldn't hurt to change your toothbrush just to prevent any other mouth infections that may occur with our weakened immune system.  

Even without HCV, dentists recommend you should change their toothbrush every 3 months because they become worn out and are not as effective as they once were.  If you have gum disease, you should change your toothbrush every 4 - 6 weeks because bacteria can harbor in the bristles.