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How Often Should I Replace My Toothbrush?

How Often Should I Replace My Toothbrush?

Your toothbrush is your first line of defense against the bacteria that cause gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath and yet it’s probably the most overlooked hygiene item we have. We throw out expired foods, restock vitamins and supplements, and replace our beauty products often, but when it comes to health and beauty, it’s our dental hygiene that doesn’t get as much attention or thought as other areas of our regimen. However, there are important rules and tips you should follow for maintaining optimal dental health.

How often should you change toothbrushes?

You might be surprised to find out that according to manufacturer guidelines and dentist recommendations, your toothbrush should be replaced every 12 to 16 weeks.

There are also cases when you might need to replace your toothbrush sooner. If you don’t replace a toothbrush or electronic toothbrush head when it needs to be, it can affect your dental health and spread infection.

Straight bristles and a clean and easy-to-grip handle are best to navigate the smaller spaces in your mouth. A soft bristle brush will effectively remove old food and bacteria that can collect around the bases of your teeth.

If you follow the standard recommendation of brushing your teeth for 2 minutes twice per day, you’re already taking steps to protect your teeth from cavities.

Brushing your teeth between each meal and after a sugary snack is an extra step you can take to be proactive about preventing tooth decay.

Brushing two or more times per day is still considered standard for a manual toothbrush. At this rate of use, the bristles in your brush will start to fall out and become mangled or twisted within about 3 months.

Once the bristles in your toothbrush start to lose their stiffness, the toothbrush is almost ready for the trash. Without bristles that brush aside food and plaque, your toothbrush quickly loses its efficiency.

Replace Your Toothbrush After an Illness

It is wise to replace your toothbrush after suffering from a canker or cold sore. Your trusty toothbrush can harbor bacteria and the herpes virus for days, which may reinfect you. The same goes for a cold or flu virus. The rule of thumb is to replace brushes after any illness.

Other reasons to change your toothbrush

Viral and bacterial infections such as strep throat are of particular concern and are a good reason to switch your old toothbrush for a new one.

You might want to change out toothbrushes for children more often than every 3 months, as they may mash on a toothbrush head or gnaw on the handle.

Don’t forget to watch your child when they’re brushing their teeth to make sure they aren’t exposing their brush head to any other surface besides their teeth.

If anyone else uses your toothbrush by mistake, get rid of it. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and everyone’s mouth harbors different bacteria than yours.

What Happens If I Don’t Change My Toothbrush 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, your toothbrush can grow mold, or possibly the least appealing, you can ingest unwanted particles if stored near a toilet.

How often should you change an electric toothbrush head?

Electric toothbrush heads clean the surface area of your teeth by quickly rotating or vibrating. These toothbrush heads still have nylon bristles that can wear after regular use. What’s more, those bristles are shorter, which means that they may fray more quickly.

Plan to change out the toothbrush head on your electronic toothbrush every 12 weeks, or even earlier. Watch for signs of wear and tear on the bristles to know when it’s time to say goodbye to a brush head.

How to take care of your toothbrush

To make the most out of your toothbrush, take care of it the way you would any personal grooming or hygiene tool.

Don’t share your toothbrush with someone else, even members of your immediate family. If your toothbrush is stored in a cup or container with other toothbrushes, try not to let the heads touch each other.

After brushing, rinse your toothbrush completely with tap water. You don’t need to use a disinfectant, mouthwash, or hot water to sanitize it. Trying to “sanitize” a toothbrush in this way can actually spread germs.

You also don’t need a special closed container to keep your toothbrush clean when it’s not in use. Some of these containers can encourage mold growth or spread bacteria.

Takeaway

Your toothbrush is an important oral hygiene tool. To maintain your toothbrush and make the most of its lifespan, use only your own toothbrush and store it upright and let it air dry.

Plan to replace the toothbrushes of every person in your family every 3 to 4 months, and mark your calendar on the date of the purchase so you remember when it’s time to replace them again.

For a dentist near Balwyn, Kew, Camberwell, Hawthorn, Surrey Hills, Mont Albert & Deepdene, please call Tower Dental today!