How to properly care for your toothbrush?

Dentists all over the world insist that you not only need to perform regular oral hygiene, but also clean your toothbrush properly. Along with the plaque, many microbes settle on it. The most dangerous of them are staphylococcus and E. coli. If a tool is infected, it becomes unsafe to use. This can lead to the development of diseases. Proper brush care, disinfection and timely replacement will help you avoid many problems.

How to properly wash a brush?

Perhaps it's worth starting with the first use of a new brush. You can often hear advice to pour boiling water over the head with bristles before the first use. However, when freshly unpacked, the brush is sterile and free of any bacteria. Rather, this method helps soften the synthetic hairs a little so that they do not scratch the gums.

But with each further use, you should follow a number of simple rules:

Before picking up a brush, remember to wash your hands with soap.
Before brushing your teeth, rinse your toothbrush with warm water.
After cleaning, the bristles are washed more thoroughly. You need to rub it with your finger under running warm water to free it from toothpaste and plaque.
If desired, the brush can be washed with soap if it still seems dirty. But in general there is no such need.
After rinsing, shake off any remaining water and let the brush dry in an upright position.

Disinfection

Every 2 weeks, the toothbrush must be disinfected in an antibacterial solution.This will reduce the number of germs. You should also definitely resort to the procedure after suffering from a cold or professional teeth cleaning. Although the opinions of dentists in this case differ. Some believe that disinfection is enough, others advise purchasing a new hygiene item and throwing away the old one.

How can you disinfect a toothbrush?

In antibacterial mouth rinse. You need to pour the rinse aid into a small glass and place the brush head down. It is important that the bristles are completely covered with the antibacterial solution. After 10–15 minutes, remove the hygiene item, rinse with water and dry. Examples of suitable rinses: Asepta, Lacalut active, President Pro, Glister from Amway.
In chlorhexidine. This is an inexpensive product, costing up to 30 rubles per bottle. Included in many antibacterial mouth rinses. To disinfect the brush, chlorhexidine is poured into the cap and the bristles are dipped into it for 5–7 minutes. It is not necessary to wash off the disinfectant, but yes, dry the brush.
In vinegar. Undiluted 9% table vinegar perfectly kills harmful microbes and eliminates unpleasant odors. It is necessary to pour about a third of a mug of vinegar, leave the brush in it for 30 minutes, and then rinse it with running water.
Disinfection with alcohol. Medical ethyl alcohol will help quickly disinfect your toothbrush. It is enough to saturate the bristles with it or dip the head in it and leave for 1 minute. Afterwards, you can immediately begin brushing your teeth.

In addition to antibacterial solutions, special devices are used to treat brushes.They are called ultraviolet sterilizers or toothbrush disinfectors and cost about 1000–1500 rubles. The work is based on disinfection with ultraviolet rays. The device operates from a 220 volt stationary network. It is equipped with a fastening system for wall mounting, as well as various clamps. Having a disinfectant makes caring for your toothbrushes much easier. It is also suitable for disinfecting razors.

Storage rules

Germs simply love dark, damp, cool places, like the bathroom. In such conditions, they remain viable for a long time and reproduce. For example, on a poorly washed wet brush. The correct way to store it is as follows:

Use a special vertical cup with a separate hole for each toothbrush. It is important to avoid cross-contamination from other surfaces, including brushes from other family members.
Take care of ventilation. The washed bristles should dry completely. Do not place the brush directly into the container. By and large, it is intended only for transportation or storage on the road.
For a shared bathroom, choose a storage location away from the toilet. When flushed, harmful particles enter the air and then settle on nearby surfaces within a radius of 1.8 m. If it is impossible to move the brush over such a distance, you should purchase a protective cap with ventilation holes.
Keep the brush storage container clean. Wash the cup or holder at least once a week with soap and hot water. To remove stains, use baking soda and a sponge that has not been used on the sink or other surfaces.

Proper use is important

Following good personal hygiene will not only keep your teeth healthy, but will also minimize the risk of bacteria colonizing your toothbrush. For it to serve faithfully, it is necessary:

Use only a separate, personal brush. The oral cavity of every person is teeming with billions of bacteria. At the same time, everyone has their own microflora, which is in harmonious coexistence with the body. When someone else's microflora gets into another person's mouth, the result can be unpredictable. To protect themselves from diseases, all family members, including husband and wife, should have personal brushes.
Brush your teeth regularly in the morning and evening for 5-6 minutes. Timely cleaning helps suppress the proliferation of microbes in the oral cavity. Accordingly, there are fewer of them left on the brush.
Choose the right bristle stiffness and toothpaste. The less bacteria in your mouth, the cleaner your stubble remains. The correct selection of toothpaste and brush guarantees complete cleansing of teeth from plaque, in which pathogenic microorganisms live.
After each meal, use dental floss and mouthwash. Brushing your teeth 3-4 times a day is practically impossible physically, and is also traumatic for tooth enamel. However, to prevent food debris from rotting between the teeth, they must be removed and washed off with mouthwash.
Change your toothbrush every 3 months. Numerous studies have confirmed that within 90 days the brush is colonized by pathogenic organisms from the oral cavity. Even high-quality disinfection does not destroy them. In addition, during this period, with regular use, the bristles wear out, and they can no longer properly clean the teeth.
Buy a new brush after an infectious disease or professional teeth cleaning. Antibodies fight infection in the body.But pathogens survive well on a toothbrush, so it is recommended to change it after an illness. As for professional sanitation, it destroys 99.9% of harmful microorganisms in the mouth. To ensure that the cleaning result lasts as long as possible, it is better to throw away the old hygiene item with bacteria or give it a second life as a device for cleaning hard-to-reach surfaces.

Electric brush care

In general, you need to care for an electric toothbrush in the same way as a regular one. The processing rules are not too different. The pocket with batteries and microcircuit is reliably protected from moisture, so the device can be washed without fear.

However, there are several important nuances that need to be taken into account when caring for an electric brush:

The bristle head wears out within 3 months and must be replaced.
Discharged batteries should never be left in the device. They may start to leak. Then not only will the brush be damaged, but the acid may get into your mouth and cause poisoning.
After use, the electric brush should be rinsed with warm water and dried.

When trying to disinfect the device, it is important not to overdo it. Boiling may cause the product to melt. According to GOST, the indicator is 1000 CFU/cm³ microorganisms on bristles is normal and in the absence of diseases of the immune system cannot lead to infection.

Every day, billions of bacteria come into contact with your toothbrush from your mouth. Among them are streptococci, staphylococci, E. coli, porphyromonas gingivalis, herpes and hepatitis viruses A, B, C, candida albicans, coliform and many others. Improper care can lead to frequent illnesses.It is important to thoroughly wash and dry the bristles, choose a suitable place to store brushes, and observe personal hygiene rules. Every 3 months the device must be replaced.