For many, dental hygiene is just about remembering to brush and floss your teeth. In this view, your mouth should be fine as long as you do those two things. However, this attitude doesn’t account for the fact that good oral care requires clean tools. After all, it turns out that even your toothbrush holder in Chardon is a major source of filth! Besides it, though, you may not know which items need scrubbing the most. To help you out, here’s a summary of three bathroom products you should regularly clean.
Your Toothbrush Holder
Toothbrush holders — especially “cup-style” ones — are often hollow. As a result, toothpaste gunk, saliva, and even blood from your toothbrush can drip into them twice a day (after each brushing). As these things pool at the bottom, harmful substances form. In fact, a 2011 public health organization report found that 27% of toothbrush holders tested positive for coliform bacteria (i.e., Salmonella, E. coli, etc.).
Given these facts, replacing your holder every six to twelve months is good practice.
Your Toothbrush Itself
Of course, the holder can’t get dirty without help from your toothbrush. The latter is a damp object that goes into a dirty mouth daily, coming into contact with things like plaque, saliva, and food debris. Naturally, these factors make it a breeding ground for bacteria.
To keep a dirty toothbrush from reaching your mouth, the American Dental Association (ADA) suggests getting a new one every three to four months. You could also need a replacement sooner if you were recently sick. Even before switching, you should disinfect your toothbrush daily by submerging it in hot water or mouthwash after each use.
Your Bathroom Hand Towels
While you may wash up after using the restroom, you likely don’t do so thoroughly. That means you’re drying still-unclean hands on your bathroom hand towels. In other words, you’re wetting the towel and shifting bacteria to it. From there, the microbes will grow due to being in a damp environment.
Needless to say, none of these facts make for clean towels. It’s therefore essential to wash your cloths at least twice a week.
Teeth cleaning won’t do you much good if your tools bring harmful stuff into your mouth. As such, remember to clean the items above, so your smile stays safer.
About the Author
The Chardon Smile Center is based in Chardon, OH. As led by Drs. Phillips and Titus, the dental practice welcomes patients of all ages — from the young to the young at heart! Its experienced staff offers preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry and emergency dental treatments. These services’ high quality is further ensured thanks to the clinic’s advanced dental technology. For more information or to book an appointment, reach them at their website or call them at (440)-286-2474.