How often should you change your toothbrush?  

Dental Health Tips

The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush every three months or sooner if your brush’s bristles are splayed. This advice applies to both manual toothbrushes and electric toothbrush heads.

A toothbrush with frayed bristles will be ineffective in removing plaque from your teeth. However, brushing too hard will wear down toothbrush bristles and your enamel, so try to brush the way your dental hygienist or dentist does when you come in for a visit.

It is also important that your replacement toothbrushes are soft-bristled brushes. Every time you come in for a visit at the Toothbar, a dentist will give you a care package with a soft-bristled brush. These brushes will become worn quicker than the harder-bristled brushes, but they are less abrasive on the surface of your teeth.

However, do not rely solely on your bi-annual dental visits to provide you with enough soft-bristled toothbrushes. There are other circumstances to consider when deciding how long to go before replacing your toothbrush, which will undoubtedly require that you replace your toothbrush more than once every six months.

If you have had any communicable diseases, replace your toothbrush after you recover to avoid contracting the illness a second time or exposing others to the illness.

Even if you have not been sick lately, toothbrush bristles can harbor bacteria that are harmful to your mouth if kept in use for too long. Not replacing your toothbrush in time can result in poor oral hygiene, leading to the development of gum disease. This is caused by bacteria build up or plaque hardening into tartar.

You can brush away plaque in the early stages of its formation. However, when plaque hardens into tartar, you will need the help of a dentist to remove it.

Your oral health is linked to the health of the rest of your body, so you want to do all that you can to take care of your teeth and gums in between dental visits. While you may have a good toothbrushing routine, if you do not have a good toothbrush, your oral health will not benefit.

You may be at risk for tooth decay and periodontal disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 90% of adults have experienced tooth decay. Additionally, The World Health Organization reports that 10% of the world population have had gum disease. These are, for the most part, preventable conditions.

Contact us

At the Toothbar, we have restorative, cosmetic and preventative dentistry. Replacing your toothbrush regularly is a way you can help yourself in the preventative dentistry department. Come schedule an appointment at our office in Austin to have us check in on your oral hygiene habits. If you already have cavities and gum disease, we can help you on your journey back to oral health as well.