Researchers have found that a single tooth brush in an average home could be harboring as many as 10 million germs on it at any given time. Even tiny micro organisms could be using your toothbrush as a breeding ground.
As disgusting as that may sound, just think about all of the times that you take your toothbrush out, rinse it off, add toothpaste to it, and then put it in your mouth to brush your teeth. It can be enough to make some people not want to brush their teeth anymore, ever again.
Yet that wouldn’t be very beneficial to anybody’s health. The bacteria that is found on the average toothbrush today is not much of a threat to teeth. Toothpaste is, by itself, and anti-germ component so as long as you’re adding a fair amount of toothpaste to the toothbrush, it’s helping to protect you.
However, it’s recommended that you replace your toothbrush at least every three months for a couple of reasons.
First, it is more hygienic to replace the toothbrush after a few months rather than trying to get six months or even a year out of it. The older the toothbrush is, the more germs and microorganisms will have a chance to make your toothbrush its breeding ground and home.
The bristles wear out. The second component of why it’s so important to replace your toothbrush is the bristles become weaker over time. When the bristles wear out they are not getting your teeth as clean as they could.
Finally, when you purchase a new toothbrush every few months, you will be more inspired to take better care of your teeth. Research has indicated that brand new products have a better chance of inspiring people to take care of their health and well-being than products they’ve had for many years. As long as you replace your toothbrush every three months, at a minimum, it’s going to lead to a healthier mouth and a healthier lifestyle.