How Long Should a Toothbrush Last

About 91% of American Adults have been diagnosed with dental problems. It’s safe to assume that most of these people were actually brushing their teeth properly, but still had to face dental problems nonetheless.

One of the main reasons behind this is the fact that they don’t really change their toothbrushes as often as they should.

Naturally, toothbrushes also do have a lifespan, so to say. After a certain point, sticking to your old toothbrush might actually even do you more harm than good- that’s how important changing your toothbrush at the right times is.

Dental experts believe that the right time to change your toothbrush is about 3 months after you go and get a new one. The only exceptional case is if you get sick, when it’s recommended that you do it a little sooner if you can.

[In today’s article, we are going to find out why you might wanna replace it once every three months. We’re going to take a look at the exact reasons behind why and when you might want to replace your toothbrush, so keep reading!]

How Often Should You Change Your Toothbrush or Toothbrush Head

One of the most commonly asked questions is exactly how often one might want to change their toothbrush or toothbrush head.

This isn’t a really easy question to answer, since it depends on the exact model you’re using, as well as your personal brushing habits. For example, some people destroy their toothbrush in a week, while some people go well up to three months.

However, assuming you’re not a toothbrush destroyer and you want to know when to replace it, I’d like to let you know that the experts recommend replacing your toothbrush every three months if you can.

While not too quick, this time is pretty much the ideal amount your toothbrush needs to show signs of wear, and that’s when you should plan on getting a new one.

Why Replace Your Toothbrush Every 3-Months?

A great question is why you might want to replace your toothbrush every three months. After all, why not 2 months or 4 months instead?

Well, honestly, it does depend the factors we just saw. However, it has been seen that the majority of people use their toothbrushes in such a way that the right time to replace it comes sometime around after 3 months of use.

So, it’s generally recommended that going for a new toothbrush after 3 months might be a pretty smart move for everyone. After all, the main priority here is your dental hygiene!

Quoting Colgate,

Replace toothbrushes every 3 to 4 months. Consider getting a new toothbrush sooner if you have been sick, especially if the toothbrush is stored close to other toothbrushes. When in doubt, look at the bristles. If they are frayed, they won’t clean teeth as thoroughly. Because children often brush more rigorously than adults, they may need their toothbrushes replaced more often.

How Long Should You Keep an Electric Toothbrush

When it comes to an electric toothbrush, you might wonder if things are going to be different. But honestly, things are pretty much the same in that case as well!

You don’t need to replace the electrical part, of course, but it’s really recommended that you replace the electric toothbrush head once every three months just like regular toothbrushes.

This would ensure that your dental hygiene is perfectly maintained and you can actually stay free from other dental expenses in the future. Tooth Advocates wishes you best of luck on that mission!

Why You Should Replace Your Toothbrush

One of the most important questions is why you might want to replace your toothbrush after all!

Well, it just so happens that there are quite a lot of possible reasons owing to which you might want to replace them. The main ones might be summed up in the following points:

• Frayed Bristles: After quite a bit of use, the bristles actually start to get frayed. This is a clear indication that you should change your toothbrush. So, that’s one of the prime reasons why you should replace your toothbrush after 3 months.
• Bacteria buildup: Another good reason is the eventual bacteria buildup in your toothbrush. After all, that’s what’s going inside your mouth to get rid of the bacteria. So, replacing it once in every 3 months sounds like a good choice if you want to keep that mouth bacteria free.
• Sickness: While not always applicable, this one’s still a good reason to replace it. When someone in your family falls sick, it’s a good reason to change their toothbrush. This is mostly owing to the fact that bacteria can easily spread if you store the infected toothbrush with other toothbrushes, and also because the problem might back again.
• Getting a new toothbrush: And at the end of the day, who doesn’t love getting a new toothbrush? It’s really fun to actually use a new one, and that’s a good reason in itself to actually get a new toothbrush every once in a while. Plus, it’s actually good for your health!

How Often Should You Wash Your Toothbrush

How often should you brush your toothbrush? Now that’s one of the questions you might want to ask me at this point.

Well, it is recommended that you should ideally wash your toothbrush at least once every week. However, another important concern here is what you might want to wash it wish.

One of the best choices out there seem to be Hydrogen Peroxide. And guess what? We here at Dental Advocates have already prepared an article to show you why and how you might want to do that.

Click here to read our article on how you might want to wash your toothbrush with Hydrogen Peroxide!

Can Your Toothbrush Make You Sick?

Now, here’s where we start asking the real questions, eh?

Well, honestly, the answer to this one is pretty impossible to give. While your toothbrush cannot really make you sick, bacteria on it can. Eventual bacteria buildup, storing it in a box, or using it when you’re sick- all of these can be possible reasons as to why you might fall sick.

But, that’s precisely why we recommend changing your toothbrush once in a while. When you do that, you ensure that you actually get rid of the bacteria in it. Changing it once in every three months seems like a great idea, while washing it properly at least once a week with something that gets rid of the bacteria too.

What Happens if You Don’t Change Your Toothbrush

What happens if you don’t change your toothbrush? That’s what I’d ask at this point if I was in your place, and I feel obliged to answer this for you.

Well, there are quite a few good reasons as to why you might want to change your toothbrush. We saw these one by one over the course of today’s article. But, here are some of the possible things that might happen if you don’t change your toothbrush:

• Uncomfortable experience: Not changing your toothbrush means you’d have to use a toothbrush with frayed bristles. Add to that the fact that it’s becoming harder eventually. This would make the overall brushing experience worse over due course of time.
• Worse dental hygiene: Naturally, the overall quality of dental hygiene that you want is something you won’t be able to maintain with an old toothbrush. So, you’d eventually face a worse and worse dental hygiene.
• Chronic Sickness: In the worst cases, you might even find the same kind of sickness coming back over and over. While this really shouldn’t happen as long as you wash the toothbrush properly, it’s always a possibility with old toothbrushes.

Now, there are just so many problems that can come out of it. But, the way out is so much simpler, just getting a new toothbrush! So, it’s really recommended that you wash your toothbrush properly and get a new one periodically in order to ensure that your dental hygiene remains superb!

Tooth Advocates is here for you!

Well, we have reached the end of today’s article. It is really hoped that you liked today’s article, and that you would actually stay tuned for more.

We here at Tooth Advocates understand that you might still have a few queries after all. Well, we look forward to hearing from you! So, please do not hesitate in reaching out to us if you have anything that you would like to ask us. We would try our best to help you out!

Also, thank you once again for staying with us till the very end of today’s article. I really look forward to having you on the next one as well! Till then, Tooth Advocates bids you farewell and wishes you a great day!