With the changing seasons with a large daily temperature difference, it is time to pay more attention to health care. When you catch a cold, brushing your teeth well is important, but how you take care of your toothbrush can also affect your dental health. From now on, let’s find out when to replace a toothbrush and how to manage it to keep teeth healthy in the changing seasons with the help of President Park Dae-yoon of Udido Cancer Dental Clinic.
◆ Use a toothbrush suitable for oral conditions, change toothbrush every 3 months
If you catch a cold during the changing season, it is important to take care of your teeth and gum health more carefully than usual. The most important thing is to brush your teeth in the right way using a toothbrush that suits your oral condition.
If there is no problem with the gums and teeth, it is recommended to use regular hair, and if you are using an orthodontic appliance, it is helpful to use strong hair to remove plaque. In addition, it is helpful to use fine hair when the teeth are sore and the condition of the gums is not good due to surgery or gum disease.
So, when is the best time to change your toothbrush? Everyone has different brushing habits. Accordingly, the rate at which the toothbrush wears and deforms is different. When a toothbrush is worn out, it cannot function properly, so it can cause damage to the gums or a situation that is worse than not brushing.
It is recommended to replace the toothbrush every 3 months, and if the toothbrush is deformed before that, it is desirable to replace it.
◆ After recovering from a cold, should I change my toothbrush?
If there is a period of illness such as oral disease, systemic disease, or a cold, many people worry about whether or not the toothbrush should be replaced when the treatment is finished or the body recovers.
There is no need to replace the toothbrush you used when you were sick. Even if you have a mild cold like a sneeze or a severe cold accompanied by coughing, runny nose, and sneezing, you don’t even need to change your toothbrush.
A toothbrush that is wet after washing with water is a perfect environment for pathogens to live. But if the bacteria on your toothbrush are the same bacteria that made you sick, then there is no need to worry. This means that even if bacteria remain on the toothbrush, these bacteria cannot invade the body again.
However, you should not share your toothbrush with others or keep it in the same space as anyone other than yourself can become infected with this bacteria and get sick.
◆ Proper toothbrush management starts immediately after brushing.
If you rinse your teeth roughly with water after brushing your teeth, there is a high chance that toothpaste or food stuck between the bristles of the toothbrush will not come out completely. Also, if you use a toothbrush with food debris left behind, tooth decay, bad breath, and periodontitis may occur.
Even if it takes a little time to prevent bacterial growth, it is also a good idea to spread the bristles slightly apart with clean fingers to remove foreign substances in running water and then rinse the toothbrush lightly with water from a water purifier or boiled water.
After using the toothbrush, it is necessary to dry the toothbrush thoroughly before storing it because it is also a factor of bacterial growth. If possible, it is best to dry your toothbrush in a sunny and ventilated area by a window.
Director Park Dae-yoon said, “If you use a toothbrush sterilizer, it can be an environment where bacteria can grow, so you need to manage the toothbrush and the sterilizer together. A good way,” he said.
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