10 Things You Didn't Know About Your Toothbrush

DISCLOSURE: Noelle Copeland RDH is the oral care specialist and dental consultant to the Brilliant and Baby Buddy oral care lines through Compac Industries. See terms below

Finding a specialty toothbrush nowadays is pretty easy. Likewise, the toothbrush aisle is littered with every possible option for a soft toothbrush for sensitive teeth, pediatric toothbrushes and even toothbrushes for your pets. In some ways they all seem the same, just different sizes and different colors. So what are some things, maybe you didn't know about YOUR amazing toothbrush? Well for starters….

●      The bristles on your toothbrush should NEVER bend out to the side, if they do, you are brushing way too hard. Go see your dentist as soon as possible to discuss.

●      Every time you recover from an illness, you need a new toothbrush. Throw away the old one. So you don't reinfect yourself or spread your illness to another member of you family.

●      For regular maintenance, your toothbrush should be replaced every 3 months.

●      Your toothbrush harbors bacteria so be sure to thoroughly rinse it after every use with warm/hot water, also remove any visible food or toothpaste debris as well and allow it to air dry in an upright position.

●      You should ALWAYS choose a soft toothbrush. Unless you have oral sensitivities, then you may need an even softer toothbrush like sensitive, ultra or super soft.

●      Medium and Hard bristled toothbrushes are too stiff. The bristles can literally brush away gum tissue and tooth enamel, especially when used incorrectly or aggressively.

●      The most popular choice for color in toothbrushes is blue.

●      You can recycle any toothbrush, and you should since most are plastic. However you can't just toss it in your home recycle bin. Check out https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/

●      You can re-use an old toothbrush for household tasks like cleaning, or artsy projects like painting. Just toss an old toothbrush into the utensil tray of your dishwasher to sanitize and your all set.

●      Last but not least, your toothbrush is a descendant in a 5000 year old line of predecessors. And to be quite honest, much of the same design exists today that existed 5000 years ago…  “a long handle to hold, with some sort of bristle apparatus on the other end for cleaning the teeth”

So until we invent something more magical for cleaning teeth at home, like sound waves or red light therapy, it looks like the basic old manual toothbrush is the best option for keeping your teeth clean and healthy.

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