The number of germs living in the bristles may shock you

Did you know that according to research, your toothbrush is home to more than 100 million bacteria? Your mouth is also full of bacteria and your toothbrush probably won't make you sick, but there are ways to keep it clean so you stay healthy.

Whilst we at Paramount Dental Sydney know it sounds completely gross that your toothbrush is covered in germs (especially when some of these germs come directly from particles in the air that drift up from your flushing toilet), it's not believed that your toothbrush will directly cause health problems however, looking after your toothbrush through regular cleaning and proper storage will assist you in maintaining your oral hygiene.

Here are some tips to keeping your toothbrush clean enough to keep putting in your mouth.

Wash your hands

If we’ve learnt anything during Covid it’s that illness and disease can easily be spread from unwashed hands. Ensure you wash your hands for 20 seconds before and after you brush your teeth.

Thoroughly rinse

When we brush our teeth, we will often remove food particles and debris from our teeth and gums. Just like it’s important to remove these particles from our teeth, it’s also important that they’re rinsed and removed from our toothbrush to avoid the production of additional bad bacteria.

Store your toothbrush properly

You may think that storing your toothbrush in a container or closed cabinet is the way to go but, but these are places where bacteria thrive. Try keeping your toothbrush out in the open, in an upright position so that it can stay dry – just keep it as far from the toilet as possible and keep the toilet seat down (especially when flushing).

If you share a bathroom, you should also avoid keeping your toothbrushes together to stop the mixing of bacteria.

Disinfect your toothbrush

While not overly necessary, if you want to go one step further in keeping your toothbrush clean or if you drop it on the bathroom floor, you may want to try the following:

Thoroughly rinse the bristles in water
Place some antiseptic mouthwash or 3% hydrogen peroxide into a small cup, enough to cover the toothbrush.
Soak for about 15 minutes — any longer risks damaging the bristles.
Rinse thoroughly with water before using again.
There are also other, more natural ingredients you can use from your kitchen cupboard to disinfect a toothbrush — such as vinegar.

Regularly replace your toothbrush

For your toothbrush to remain as effective as possible it’s recommended you replace it every three month or until it becomes frayed.

It’s also a good idea to replace it after you’ve had a cold or flu to help avoid reinfection for yourself or others you live with.