How to Store Your Toothbrush and Keep It Sanitary

Are you wondering how clean your toothbrush really is? Over time, a toothbrush will hold onto microorganisms that can lead to an oral and possibly bodily infection. With hundreds of different kinds of microorganisms that can live in your mouth, it is impossible to know which ones transfer from your toothbrush to your mouth and vice versa.

If you do not properly clean your toothbrush, these microorganisms will continue to grow on the surface of the toothbrush for weeks. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do in order to keep your toothbrush sanitary and ready for its next use.

Choosing the best toothbrushes

When choosing a toothbrush, it is important to choose the right size of brush for the mouth. Smaller mouths will benefit from using a smaller-sized toothbrush and larger mouths will benefit from using a larger sized toothbrush. Bristle choice is also important since soft, medium and hard bristles are often the norm. It is beneficial to choose a soft or medium bristle in most cases since hard bristles can potentially cause damage to the gums.

The American Dental Association recommends replacing a toothbrush about every 3 to 4 months and offers their stamp of approval on toothbrushes that meet their particular criteria.

How to store your toothbrush to keep it sanitary

Even though people only use toothbrushes for a few months, it is still necessary to keep them clean between uses. Storing a toothbrush in a closed or covered container is not healthy since these types of containers do not allow for a lot of air circulation. When a toothbrush is in a covered container, it creates a moist environment that supports microorganism growth. Instead, storing a toothbrush in a cup where it can stand upright and dry out properly is recommended.

Tips for toothbrushes

The following are some additional tips to keep in mind when it comes to caring for toothbrushes:

• Do not share toothbrushes as this can increase the risk for infection
• After brushing one’s teeth it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the toothbrush in order to remove any leftover toothpaste or food particles. An anti-bacterial mouthwash can be used to rinse the teeth brush, as well
• Over-the-counter toothbrush sanitizers are available that use ultraviolet light to kill any and all microorganisms that may be living on the surface

Got toothbrush questions?

If you have questions about your toothbrush and just cannot seem to find the right answers, all you have to do is give us a call and make an appointment. We can schedule you an appointment with one of our dentists, who can answer any and all questions you have about toothbrushes and how to choose the best one for you.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with Gables Exceptional Dentistry, request an appointment in our Coral Gables dental office here: https://www.gablesexceptionaldentistry.com. Or call us at (305) 203-4132.