How Often Should Your Toothbrush Be Changed For A New One?
Do you remember the last time you purchased a new tooth brush? If you don’t -- this might be a good time to take note on it. We often throwout expired items such as supplements, beauty products, food, vitamins all the time. It is important to give attention to your dental hygiene equally. Using these tips and tools can help improve that moving forward.
Timing On The Change.
The American Dental Association and dentist nationwide often state that it is important to change your toothbrush around the 3 month mark. This is because of wear and tear like everything else that use. When we utilize our toothbrushes everyday -- we practically start seeing the effectiveness slow down closer midway or at the three month mark. Removing plaque from teeth and gums becomes harder to do.
Another consideration to think about the topic of effective use is that germs can also build up and hide in the toothbrush bristles. This an important highlight to remember after having a cold due to the possible reinfection.
Fungus and bacteria can also develop in the bristles if not taken care of properly. After use, make sure you rinse off and dry your toothbrush thoroughly, storing uncovered in an upright position and keeping it away from other used toothbrushes. When traveling, be sure to cover your toothbrush head to protect it and reduce the spread of germs.
The condition of the toothbrush and its appearance can help you determine if it is time to replace it. Keeping track on the new one to replace down the line in your calendar or make a bathroom note can help you stay on track.
Is Often Enough?
If knowing that bacteria and fungus accumulates on your toothbrush bristles overtime isn’t enough reason to replace your toothbrush more often, there are also a number of other risks and uninviting issues involved with not replacing your toothbrush. One risk includes damaging your gums, as old toothbrushes become ineffective with removing plaque from your teeth, which leads to gingivitis. Left untreated, gingivitis leads to infection, which can cause teeth to fall out.
Even more unappealing, you can get sick from overused toothbrushes due to bacteria and fungus build up. Your toothbrush can grow mold, or possibly the least appealing, you can ingest unwanted particles if stored near a toilet.
Perhaps throwing it at now and replacing it with a new one might be the best idea all while scheduling a deep cleaning with Dr. Marchetti.
Insights on Shopping for Dental Products.
Ask Dr. Marchetti during your next dental checkup and cleaning for recommendations about what you should be buying based off your individual needs and your particular dental health state.
This way suggestions come from a one stop shop that can help identify tooth brushes with softer bristles that are best for your sensitivity. Hard bristles can potentially hurt or damage gums and teeth. Also, toothpaste is important to be aware with its ingredients such as fluoride to help you get the right daily clean. Also include mouthwash to further fight plaque and gingivitis, and don’t forget floss!
Another great option is to invest in an electric toothbrush, as these have been proven to improve oral health beyond what a manual toothbrush can do by removing plaque, reducing gingivitis and eliminating teeth staining. They’ve also been shown to minimize the amount of plaque on the teeth of people with periodontal disease.