Maintaining a solid dental hygiene routine is critical for protecting the health of your teeth and gums! However, if your toothbrush is worn out or unsanitary, you may not be keeping up your oral health as well as you think. Here are a few steps you can take to clean up that toothbrush and restore your smile!
Step 1: Buy a new brush every three months.
Can you remember the last time you bought a new toothbrush? If not, it is definitely time for a new one. According to the American Dental Association, you should buy new toothbrush every three months. That said, if your toothbrush bristles look frayed before this timeframe is over, then you may want to consider buying one sooner. Not only will this help to ensure you’re brushing effectively, but it also helps you to keep your toothbrush sanitary as well.
Step 2: Disinfect your toothbrush daily.
Your mouth is naturally filled with millions of bacteria, so this will of course get on your toothbrush as well. In order to keep your toothbrush clean and free of harmful bacteria, you’ll want to disinfect your toothbrush each time you brush. To do so, consider soaking your toothbrush in a cup of antibacterial mouthwash before or after every time you brush. Then, simply rinse! Your toothbrush will be left both clean and minty fresh.
Step 3: Perform a thorough cleaning once per week.
There are a few things that you can do to give your toothbrush the weekly cleaning it needs to stay sanitary. The first is giving it a rinse in the dishwasher. Simply place the toothbrush where you keep your eating utensils, and put it through the normal washing cycle. You might consider keeping the cycle at a lower temperature to protect the plastic from warping. Then, rinse with water and you’re good to go! If you don’t have a dishwasher, however, you can also use boiling water on the stove. Simply dip your toothbrush head in a pot of boiling water for three minutes to kill the germs. Just be sure to wait until the toothbrush head cools down before using it in your mouth.
Step 4: Make sure you’re storing your toothbrush correctly.
It is important to give careful thought to how you’re storing your toothbrush. For starters, you do not want to keep your toothbrush anywhere near the toilet or cleaning supplies—after all, you don’t want these bacteria or chemical fumes anywhere near your toothbrush. Next, you will want to find a way to store your toothbrush where it can stand upright and there is plenty of airflow. A toothbrush cup or holder is a great option. Otherwise, keeping the toothbrush lying down or in a drawer can make it more susceptible to bacterial growth.
Step 5: Buy a proper travel case.
Storing your toothbrush correctly is important both when you’re at home or on the go. Be sure to buy a travel case that has holes for drainage and airflow to avoid bacterial growth. You should also make sure it is not too small so your toothbrush can have room to breathe!
If you’d like more tips for maintaining your oral health,
our Romeoville dental professionals can help! With your routine dentist visit, you can receive a thorough professional cleaning, a screening for oral health issues, and tips on maintaining your dental hygiene.
Call Carillon Family Dental in Romeoville today to schedule your visit.