Change Your Toothbrush with the Seasons

When was the last time you changed your toothbrush?

When you needed a small brush to polish the silver in your kitchen? Dentists recommend replacement of your toothbrush every 3 months. But there are also other factors to consider besides just looking at the calendar.

First, Inspection

First, look at your toothbrush. Do the bristles look frayed? If they are, they won’t do as thorough a job at cleaning your teeth and gums as a new one.

Second, Investigate

Second, ask yourself if you’ve been sick lately? We know that there are hundreds of different microorganisms that live in the mouth, and when we are sick, bacteria can transfer and linger on our toothbrushes. Easy rule…change your toothbrush after you’ve been ill.

Third, Don’t Share

Third, if someone else in your family has borrowed and used your toothbrush (yuck!), throw it out and use a new one. Sharing a toothbrush means you are transferring body fluids or bacteria from one individual to another. This may be placing you at risk for increased chance of infection.

It is good practice to thoroughly rinse your toothbrush well under running tap water to remove remaining toothpaste and debris from your toothbrush. Do not store the head of your toothbrush in a closed holder. Store your toothbrush in an upright position in an open environment to allow the head to air dry. This prevents a moist environment and discourages unwanted bacteria growth.

Changing your toothbrush coincidentally with the change of season every 3 months will make it easy to remember when to go out with the old, and in with the new.