What colour is your toothbrush?

Dental Care23 March, 2011 - 23:12
What colour is your toothbrush?

The toothbrush holds an important place in removing tooth deposits and food, so the main role of preventing oral diseases belongs to it. Its choice is not one of taste, so care should be give to the following guidelines:

  1. The toothbrush must be comfortable to hold, it shouldn’t slide in your hand or between your fingers.
  2. Its shape must allow for all movements necessary to brush teeth.
  3. The length of the toothbrush must suit the age, mouth size, and mouth condition of the user.
  4. Generally, it is considered that the best length of the work surface of the brush is that which covers the area of three neighboring lateral teeth. For children, that is between 2 and 2.5 cm, and for adults, 2.5-3 cm.
  5. Toothbrushes with soft rounded bristles are recommended for children.
  6. 6. When choosing a toothbrush, it is important that there is adequate space between the bundles of bristles to allow for movement, self-cleaning, and drying of the bristles.

Artificial bristles, which are now most often used and whose construction has advanced greatly, are resistant to use and hygienically acceptable. This means that after brushing the toothbrush is well rinsed in water from the remaining food and toothpaste. It should be left standing upright with the head on top so that the bristles can dry well, impeding the growth of numerous bacteria and lengthening the lifetime of the toothbrush. It is essential to choose a toothbrush with the appropriate firmness and sharpness of the bristles, because during use, sharp-ended bristles can damage both the soft tissue of the mouth and the surface of the teeth.

It is high time to replace a toothbrush when all the bristles are bent, when they do not return to their original position, when they separate, or join together, or in the worst-case scenario, when they start to fall out. This should be done after about 100-200 brushings, or after 2 months of use.

Toothbrushes that, instead of artificial bristles, have natural bristles (horse hair and pig hair), which are not equal in construction, thickness, and durability, are not recommended by professionals. The gaps located within such bristles are perfect for the development of bacteria and viruses, which represents a danger of spreading infections, especially if their ability of collecting moisture is taken into consideration. Their lifetime is also shorter.

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