Facts and Hacks Concerning Your Toothbrush [For 2022]

Every year, the dental experts at the American Dental Association update their recommendations in regards to your oral health. In addition to the traditional mass-produced toothbrush, companies are constantly redesigning the ever-so-popular electric toothbrush to match these updated recommendations.
If you want to stay up to date on your oral hygiene habits, consider the following:

Harmful Toothbrush Habits

Every time you brush your teeth, the bristles of your toothbrush lose some of their strength. Brushing your teeth with a toothbrush that is past its expiration can actually have detrimental effects on your teeth and gum line.
Many people think that their electric toothbrush can help avoid problems caused by a manual toothbrush but there are other factors essential to understand when cleaning your teeth.

Tooth brushing Pressure

If you brush your teeth with too much pressure, it accelerates the time it takes for the bristles become frayed, which causes damage to your enamel and irritates your gums. Some people think that the added pressure adds to a deeper clean, but it is a common misconception. However, if you apply too little pressure your mouth will suffer from plaque build-up and bad breath.

Many times, an electric toothbrush (such as the Philips Sonicare Diamondclean) comes with a pressure sensor and at least five cleaning modes to help deep clean effectively without irritating our gums and teeth.

Bristle Strength

Similar to the misconception above, brushing with bristles that are too hard can also have a reverse effect on your good oral hygiene routine. Many people believe that a soft brush head is only for people with sensitive teeth or those prone to gum disease, but this could not be more incorrect.

Soft bristles help massage the gums while removing plaque and surface stains for a cleaner, whiter smile.

Toothbrush Storage

Have you ever heard of a toilet plume?
A toilet plume is an airborne dispersal of microscopic particles created by the flush of a toilet. Meaning, if you store your toothbrush on your bathroom countertop (like so many people do) be sure to keep it far away from your toilet.

Most electric toothbrushes include a charging stand to help revive the battery life, and most people keep this device stored on their restroom counter so that they can plug that charger into an outlet.
If this is the case for your dental products, be sure to close the lid of your toilet before flushing to avoid airborne particles and bacteria from spreading to your toothbrush– YUCK!

Brushing Time

The experts at the American Dental Association generally recommend brushing at least twice a day for two minutes. Many powered toothbrushes come with different cleaning modes that include a two minutes timer to help people through the brushing process.

Brushing With a Dirty Toothbrush

Daily cleaning is important to keep your dental health at its best. However, wear and tear on your toothbrush makes it necessary to replace your manual or powered toothbrush head every 3-4 months to prevent possible harm to your teeth.

Techniques to Clean Your Toothbrush

Most of the time, rinsing your toothbrush in warm water after every brush is sufficient enough to keep brush heads from retaining too much bacteria. But many people prefer a deeper disinfecting/cleaning process. Great ways to clean your toothbrush include:
Soak in Hydrogen Peroxide daily
Soak in antibacterial mouthwash daily
Soak in denture cleaner

Electric toothbrushes are very similar to manual toothbrushes in that you can use the same soaking agents to clean the bristles of your powered toothbrush- just make sure to completely remove the electric head before soaking it in anything besides water.
If you are a fan of electric toothbrushes, be sure that you also clean the brush handle thoroughly with mild dish soap or disinfectant.

Innovations in Tooth Technology

Every year, over 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away in the United States- 50 million pounds of which are dumped into landfills.
Initially, the only way of combating this was to encourage recycling and promote electric toothbrushes. However, electric toothbrushes cost more than the traditional manual brush.
The American dental association is constantly searching for new and innovative ways to reduce toothbrush pollution without compromising your oral care.

• The Foreo Issa is a silicone electric toothbrush that is leading the world in toothbrush technology. The toothbrush head is a hybrid of silicone and PBT polymer bristles that massage your gums and break down plaque. This toothbrush head only needs to be replaced once a year and claims to remove 30% more plaque than a manual toothbrush.
• The Rolly Brush Chewable Teeth Cleaner is a discreet chewable toothbrush that contains 276 bristles. It requires no water and can fit easily in your purse or your pocket. It uses fluoride and xylitol to clean the teeth and leave you with fresh breath.
  
• Bamboo toothbrushes are a great biodegradable substitution compared to plastic toothbrush handles. Unfortunately, these do require replacement after every 3-4 months like typical manual toothbrushes but they are eco-friendly.

Last But Not Least…

Floss, Floss, FLOSS!
There is a reason your dentist asks you at every visit “Do you floss?” They don’t just ask because it’s fun. Your dentist asks this question because flossing is the final step of your brushing experience that is vital to a healthy mouth.

Many people avoid this step due to sensitive gums, and because they are uncomfortable with those hard-to-reach areas. However, sensitive gums are usually a result of a lack of flossing the entire tooth surface. When you floss, you get the benefit of whitening your teeth and improving your gum health and gum sensitivity.
If you truly don’t enjoy traditional floss, another solution is to invest in a water pick. These devices force water through a thin device and the pressure helps remove plaque from the surface of the tooth.
There are many more ways to practice perfect dental hygiene and at Tree City Dental, we are here to help you achieve that glowing smile. If you’d like to book a consultation with one of our friendly dental experts, contact us here!