How Clean Is Your Brush?

Most of us wouldn't clean our dishes or kitchen surfaces with a dirty bacteria laden cloth. But for some reason many of us don't seem to think the same way about our toothbrushes! Instead, we're cleaning our teeth with a dirty brush.

Part of the reason manufacturers recommend replacing our brush so often is to prevent bacteria build-up (and making more money out of us too of course!). Do we really need to change our brush so often though? If it's not worn out why replace it - why not just clean it better!?

There are various ways you can do this - and even just running it under a hot tap is better than nothing. You can also put your toothbrush in the dishwasher if you have one, or even leave it out in the sun because Ultra Violet light (or UV light as we know it) kills bacteria. Although the drawback with these methods is the hassle factor. You have to remember to do it, and we tend to be bad at that sort of thing.

Which is why some clever folks came up with the idea of UV cleaning devices for your toothbrush. What could be easier than putting your toothbrush away and a UV light automatically cleans it for you so it's bug-free next time you use it! Quick and effortless. The dental reviews site has some recommendations on which ones might suit your usage model best (e.g. home, travel, family situation etc).

We spend a lot of money on dental care and looking after our teeth - things like implants are expensive. So it makes a lot of sense to do our best to keep our mouths as hygienic as we can to minimise those expenses and maximise the benefits of the work our dentists do for us. Although apparently there is a downturn in dental spending according ot the Journal of the ADA http://jada.ada.org/. The latest issue discusses some of the possible reasons why. Could it be that we are simply taking better care of our dental hygiene..?

Maybe. It does of course make perfect sense either way to take a little more care with the hygiene of our toothbrushes. In addition to keeping them clean it's important to let them dry out, and to keep them away from other sources of contamination too. Please don't keep your toothbrushes near the toilet.