Why and how often do I need to change my toothbrush

Many people pay great attention to the choice of a toothbrush: they take into account the stiffness of the bristles, the material of their manufacture, the angle of inclination of the head and additional properties. These criteria are really important, but for proper oral hygiene, you must adhere to one more rule - often change your toothbrush.

Why do I need to change my toothbrush?

Regular replacement of toothbrushes is not a trick of manufacturers to increase sales, but a necessity due to a number of reasons. Why you need to change your toothbrush often:

• After prolonged use, the brush becomes unusable. Its bristles soften and exfoliate, so it is already unable to perform its functions. If a person does not clean his teeth of plaque, in which bacteria multiply, he can develop a list of dangerous dental diseases.
• Even if you thoroughly wash the bristles after each brushing, bacteria will still accumulate on their surface. They develop at the base of the bristles and right inside it.
• Over time, the initial form of the villi changes. Usually they diverge to the sides on the sides of the base. In such conditions, proper brushing of the teeth becomes impossible - enamel and gums can suffer.

How many times a year and at what frequency do you need to change the brush

The opinions of dentists and manufacturers usually agree - they recommend updating the brushes every 3 months. It is during this period that classic plastic toothbrushes become unusable.

How many times a year do you need to change toothbrushes from other materials:

• Bamboo - once every 2 months or 6 times a year, since bacteria accumulate more actively in natural fiber.
• With a wooden handle - a month after purchase or 12 times a year.

The longest life of brush heads. They work great for 4–5 months, since they are usually made with a denser fiber.

How often to change a child’s toothbrush

It is recommended to start brushing the baby’s teeth from the first days of their teething. Toothbrushes for cleansing children's enamel can be divided into several categories:

• silicone massagers;
• silicone toothbrushes;
• classic children's toothbrushes.

Baby silicone brush

Massagers are used to clean recently erupted baby teeth. They are a fingertip made of soft silicone. Mom should clean the teeth with this device. Such a massager not only provides the necessary cleansing, but also relieves itching in the gums.

You need to buy a massager every 3-4 months. It is made of silicone, a material on the surface of which bacteria accumulate very actively. But still, too often you will not have to change the silicone massager, because thanks to its special shape it is easy to wash and disinfect.

Silicone toothbrushes have a standard shape and are used to teach a child to independently brush their teeth. Their bristles are poorly cleaned of bacterial accumulations, therefore, such devices for brushing teeth will have to be changed every 3 months.

Classic children's brushes differ from adults only in softer bristles and bright design, so the requirements for replacing them are standard: every 3 months. However, at an early age, the child may not handle the toothbrush very carefully, then it will have to be updated more often.

How to understand that the brush needs to be replaced

Three months is the standard life of toothbrushes, but in some situations they need to be changed after a shorter period of time:

• The brush that you took on a trip is better to throw out right before you return. Even if you stored it in a special case, she had to face a huge amount of bacteria.
• After recovering from an infectious disease, you need to change all personal hygiene productsto prevent the re-development of the disease.
• If the toothbrush is very dirty - fell on the floor or in dirty water - you need to get rid of it.

To understand when you need to change a toothbrush, you can also by its appearance. If you see that the bristles are wrinkled, its color has changed, or a plaque has formed on the surface of the villi, it is better to renew the toothbrush.

In order not to forget when it is necessary to replace the brush, you can leave a note on it with a reminder. Many do this: they stick a small piece of tissue patch on the pen, and the date of first use is written on it. Such a patch will not peel off due to exposure to water and will not be lost, so you will always be aware of how much you can use this brush.

Is it possible to brush my teeth longer than the allotted time

How often and why you need to change a toothbrush, explain in dentistry. Manufacturers indicate recommendations on the use of hygiene products on the packaging of their products. But despite all this, many are looking for ways to replace toothbrushes less often.

It is really possible to increase the life of toothbrushes, but then you will have to pay more attention to cleaning them after each morning and evening procedure. To remove bacterial accumulations not only from the surface of the bristles, but also from their base, you need to keep the toothbrush under a stream of water and gently push the bristles in different directions. Once a week, a toothbrush should be immersed in a solution of hydrogen peroxide, Miramistin or mouthwash with antibacterial effect.

For those who do not plan to control the time of use of the toothbrush, it is better to purchase a brush with a bristle that acts as an indicator: when the product reaches the end of its life, the color of the bristles changes. Usually this happens after the standard 3 months, but if the user does not have any special problems with the teeth and carefully cares for his toothbrush, the color of the bristles can change only after 4-5 months of use.