Prick-Resistant Patients, Rejoice! Allergy Toothpaste Is Now a Thing

Seasonal allergies can be a real bummer. Whether your constantly itchy eyes and runny nose are due to dust mites, pet dander, pollen, or another irritant, the treatment is usually similar: grab an over-the-counter solution and hope for the best, or turn yourself into a human pin cushion and undergo an allergy-shot regimen that uses immunotherapy to reduce your symptoms. But what if you could become sneeze-free simply by brushing your teeth, no needles required?

According to Popular Science, there's a lesser-known treatment available that actually works, despite sounding way too good to be true: Allerdent, an allergy-desensitizing toothpaste. Created by allergist William Reisacher, MD, to make prick-resistant patients actually want to come in for allergy treatments, the thick paste is simply combined with a chilled liquid desensitizing serum in-office. Then, after a doc mixes it up, you can take it home with you, where you'll use two dollops a day to fight up to 10 of your key allergens included in the paste, opposed to receiving a weekly shot. The coolest part? The product still cleans your teeth, too.

Allerdent, an allergy-desensitizing toothpaste, might make prick-resistant patients actually want to come in for allergy treatments.

Not only can the allergy-fighting toothpaste save you plenty of trips to the doctor's office, but it can also save you money. While weekly shots could run you $1,300 to $3,900 a year depending on whether or not they're covered by health insurance, a three-month supply of Allerdent is only $140. Less pain and more gain? Let's hope for allergy sufferers, this alternative method is here to stay and expands to cover other allergies, like food, soon, too.

Here are three habits that could be making your allergies worse. Or, find out if it's possible to develop allergies as an adult.