Understanding general dentistry is essential to establishing and maintaining good oral hygiene. One piece of oral hygiene that is often a mystery to people is how long a person should keep a toothbrush. We've all been to someone's house and seen a jangly toothbrush with bristles shooting out in every direction. Maybe you're even that person sometimes. Whatever your current toothbrush situation, we're going to explore the idea of toothbrush length in this article, helping you to understand just how long you can keep your trusty brush. Let's get started:
What Does General Dentistry Say About Toothbrush Length? It's a shame that we have to swap out our brushes because an old brush can really grow on you. It becomes part of your routine and you have a hard time giving up on it when the time comes. That's probably part of the reason that so many people brush their bristles into scattered, ineffective nubs. The truth of the matter is that your toothbrush just isn't as effective when it starts to lose its original form. Your goal is oral hygiene, and an old brush just won't do the trick. An effective toothbrush shouldn't be too firm or too soft. Typically, the form that your brush comes in has the perfect bristle feel, and that form will last for a couple of months. The general consensus is that you should swap out your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months. After that time, your brush will start to stray off in different directions and change its firmness. How to Keep Your Brush Healthy Your toothbrush can experience an untimely death if you don't take proper care of it. Situations where a family member or roommate has gotten sick or someone uses your brush might mean you should get a new one. Bathrooms and sink areas are hot spots for bacteria. That's why it's so important that you keep a sanitary place for your toothbrush to be. It might also be wise to separate toothbrushes of the household from one another. This is especially true if you live with roommates that are all living independent lives. It's a little different when everyone in the house is family, but you might want to keep things separate even then. You might be able to ward off changing brushes a little longer if you can maintain the bristles, too. Bristles can get really hard and damage your enamel if you don't take certain precautions. The most important thing is to wash the bristles of your brush after each brushing. This is a pretty easy thing to do, considering you can run a good deal of water through the brush and that will work. Work that you put into toothbrush maintenance is work that you put into your long-term oral hygiene. Old brushes simply aren't as effective at killing bacteria as newer, well-kept ones. Having Oral Hygiene Issues? Oral hygiene is something we learn a little bit when we're young, but most adults aren't aware of the best ways to keep their mouths free of bacteria and infection. We're here to help. Contact us if you're in need of any general dentistry help or you're looking to learn more about how to practice the concepts above.