One of our delightful patients, who’s a bit of a ‘wag’ brought the worn electric toothbrush head shown in the photo into the practice recently and wanted to know if it was time to change to a new brush head? Well after we picked ourselves up from the floor we said, only if you want to clean your teeth effectively, otherwise keep using it! Now we know that he had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek when he plonked the brush head on the desk, but it does highlight a very good point. How often should you change your toothbrush?
Toothbrushes, and electric toothbrush heads, should be replaced before they become too shaggy. (Len, this means you!!) If you are brushing properly, your toothbrush may show signs of wear sooner than you expect, and naturally this will vary depending on your brushing technique.
So how often is often enough?
A good rule of thumb is: a soft bristled toothbrush for a person brushing twice daily should work for around three months. That’s because, no matter what type of toothbrush you use, its bristles can become frayed and worn and may lose their effectiveness. Clinical research shows that a new toothbrush can remove more plaque than one that’s worn out, ensuring that your brush is working its hardest to help keep your teeth clean and healthy.
If you are changing sooner than three months because the bristles have frayed, then you are probably brushing way too hard. (Please don’t use medium or hard bristled toothbrushes as they are too damaging to teeth and gums! Tip: search images for “toothbrush abrasion”).
And for little teeth?
You may need to change children’s toothbrushes a little more often as they tend to brush a little harder and /or chew on the brush head and the bristles quickly fray.
Haven’t been well?
Toothbrush bristles do not kill bacteria in the mouth, protect you against disease or prevent you from getting sick. So be sure to change your brush regularly for maximum effectiveness and to practice diligent hygiene, despite the type of toothbrush you’re using.
Say Aah!
So there you have it, change your toothbrush or electric toothbrush head every three months or at least before your toothbrush resembles our shaggy friend in the photo. Thanks Len, for prompting this topic of discussion! He assures us he has replaced the head now, and we did dispose of this shaggy dog after the photo was taken.
