Most people don’t clean their toothbrush after brushing their teeth. Some even ignore the need for this step. The reason for doing this is because of bacteria and microbes in the brush, for two reasons.
The toothbrush is in constant contact with bacteria in the mouth: sometimes after brushing the teeth, oral microbes and bacteria become attached to the bristles of the brush.
The environment where the toothbrush is kept is humid: the humidity in the bathroom promotes the development of bacteria. Thus, all the devices and equipment there, including the toothbrush, must be cleaned regularly. In this article, we will try to help you understand why toothbrush sanitizers must be in your bathroom.
What is a toothbrush Sanitizer?
This may be the first time you hear the existence of such thing. A toothbrush sanitizer is real and it is very useful. Do not mix cleaning or disinfecting a toothbrush with sterilizing it. A toothbrush sanitizer eliminates all microbes and bacteria from it, after all, it is what you use to get other bacteria from your mouth, and therefore, it goes unsaid that before you put a toothbrush in your mouth it could be bacteria-free.
There are two types of toothbrush sanitizers. Steam-based method and dry heat method. There are also toothbrush sanitizers that uses both functions. The first method helps eradicate small bacteria and stop them from establishing a breeding ground, whereas the second method uses extra violet light to kill all the bacteria that may not have been eliminated by the steam.
Clean your toothbrush with a UV sterilizer
Using a toothbrush UV sterilizer is the technological method, one that requires you to equip yourself with a device that you probably do not have in your bathroom. It is the most efficient method, since UV technology makes it possible to get rid of almost 100% of the bacteria, microbes and microorganisms that have managed to survive in the bristles of the toothbrush. After being exposed to UV rays for ten minutes, the toothbrush comes out almost like new, and completely healthy.
Precautions for having a clean toothbrush at all times
Even though you have used all the toothbrush sterilizers available in the market, you must not neglect the most basic precaution methods that help keeps your toothbrush healthy.
- Rinse the toothbrush with warm water. After each use, the first reflex to adopt is to rinse your brush in hot water in order to remove toothpaste and food residues present in the mouth. Then check the cleanliness of the bristles and allow the brush to air dry and not in the cupboard.
- Avoid the plastic brush protectors, they will confine the toothbrush, thus promoting the multiplication of microbes.
- Always place the head of the toothbrushes upwards and prevent them from coming into contact with each other. Ideally, everyone has their own toothbrush holder.
Spread the toothpaste, keeping a distance between the end of the tube and the bristles of the brush so that they don’t come into contact. This can introduce bacteria into the toothpaste tube.