Sadly everything has come to an end, and one should know when to replace it. This goes for many products we use in our life, be it fashion products or food items. Moreover, this also applies to dental hygiene products like our toothbrushes. However, the thought of replacing the toothbrush slips out of our minds more often, and we continue to use it for an extended period. Thus, this article will discuss the need to replace your toothbrush and how often you do that.
Why Does The Toothbrush Need Replacement?
Brushing is hard on your toothbrush. Eventually, the toothbrush loses its effectiveness due to constant wear and tear. This wear and tear fray the soft bristles, and the brush head loses its shape. Therefore, when the bristles fray out, and the head loses its shape, the toothbrush won’t clean your teeth as effectively as you want.
Thus, studies show that it’s best to replace toothbrushes after three to four months of use. The best time to replace your toothbrush is when it appears worn out with mangled or twisted bristles.
Other Reasons To Replace Your Toothbrush:
If worn-out toothbrushes don’t seem enough of a reason for you to make a trip to the grocery store, let’s discuss a few other reasons to timely replace your toothbrush.
1) Bacterial Or Fungal Growth:
When you brush your teeth, you scrub away the bacterial growth from your teeth. However, those bacteria can still linger among the bristles of your toothbrush. Hence, you wouldn’t want them to re-enter your body.
Nonetheless, that’s not all. At times disease-causing bacteria can cling to your toothbrush, and this can increase the chance of reinfection. For example, flu-causing bacteria found in the mouth can hide out among the bristles during flu season. Thus, when you have completely recovered, you may risk contracting the flu again. To make things worse, if the toothbrush of your family member lies in the proximity, flu bacteria may extend to those brushes as well.
Hence, we recommend you get rid of your toothbrush and those of others after a cold or flu.
Another aspect we want you to pay attention to is how you store your toothbrush. This is because improper use and storage can cause unsightly fungi like mold to claim your toothbrush. This happens when you don’t properly dry the brush or store them in an enclosed upright position. After all, open-air and moisture are all that opportunistic molds need to grow.
2) Low Protection Against Oral Problems:
When your brush won’t do its job and shrug off that plaque buildup, you might end up with gingivitis regardless of your brushing habit. This also extends to other issues like cavities, as ineffective brushing makes you more prone to them.
In a nutshell, you wouldn’t want to keep using your brush beyond its shelf life. However, another thing that can help maintain great oral health is regular dental checkups. You can visit Bayside Dental And Orthodontics for all your dental needs. Call us at 979-330-4113 for any of your inquiries.