SunSunSunSun CityCityCityCity DentistDentistDentistDentist News:News:News:News: SurprisingSurprisingSurprisingSurprising FactsFactsFactsFacts AboutAboutAboutAbout YourYourYourYourToothbrush,Toothbrush,Toothbrush,Toothbrush, PARTPARTPARTPART 1111

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You use it everyday and probably seldom think twice about it, but there is a whole lot to owning,maintaining and using a toothbrush than Sun City residents might think! Because it issomething we do everyday and hopefully more than once a day, habits that are developed tendto become entrenched and what we thought might be good or beneficial, could in fact bedamaging or deleterious to good oral health. We spoke to an experienced dental implantsdentist in Arizona about this most essential of oral hygiene activities and the followingsurprising facts were revealed...

1.1.1.1. YouYouYouYou shouldshouldshouldshould brushbrushbrushbrush youryouryouryour teethteethteethteeth forforforfor twotwotwotwo minutesminutesminutesminutes atatatat aaaatime.time.time.time.

“Most people spend less than one minute brushing their teethper day,” says the Sun City dentist. “You should brush your teethfor two minutes at a time and do so at least twice a day, morningand night. A quick scrub is not going to remove sufficient oralbacteria and food debris to prevent the build-up of plaque andtartar on your teeth. This could leave you far more vulnerable tocavities, tooth decay and the oral ailment that ultimately leads totooth loss: gumgumgumgumdiseasediseasediseasedisease.”

2.2.2.2. ThoseThoseThoseThose specialspecialspecialspecial toothbrushtoothbrushtoothbrushtoothbrush storagestoragestoragestorage capscapscapscaps actuallyactuallyactuallyactually fosterfosterfosterfosteranananan environmentenvironmentenvironmentenvironment conduciveconduciveconduciveconducive totototo bacterialbacterialbacterialbacterial growth.growth.growth.growth.

Many big brand names in oral health and hygiene sell toothbrushcaps, which are designed to close over the head of the toothbrush, supposedly keeping it safefrom bacteria. However, they in effect, achieve the opposite!

“Your toothbrush should be stored in a place where it has the chance to dry between uses, suchas a closed, yet aired bathroom cupboard,” advises the Sun City dentist. “Storing it in atoothbrush cap is akin to leaving it on the sink in a puddle of water. Bacteria love warm, moistenvironments, so by not allowing your toothbrush to dry, it becomes an excellent breedingground for the kind of organisms that can actually make you sick.”

3.3.3.3. NeverNeverNeverNever storestorestorestore youryouryouryour toothbrushtoothbrushtoothbrushtoothbrush withinwithinwithinwithin 6666 feetfeetfeetfeet ofofofof aaaa flushingflushingflushingflushing toilet.toilet.toilet.toilet.

You may not see it with your own two eyes, but every time you flush the toilet, it sends anultra-fine spray of water up into the air. And since the water in your toilet is anything butsqueaky clean, everything within a 6-foot radius of the toilet can be vulnerable tocontamination.

“If your bathroom is very small and if you don’t have anywhere safe to store your toothbrush,then just make sure to close the toilet lid every time you flush. This will help keep yourbathroom free of biofilm, which can contain nasty pathogens,” explains the dental implantsdentist in Arizona.

4.4.4.4. ReplaceReplaceReplaceReplace youryouryouryour toothbrushtoothbrushtoothbrushtoothbrush everyeveryeveryevery threethreethreethree totototo fourfourfourfour monthsmonthsmonthsmonths orororor whenwhenwhenwhen thethethethe bristlesbristlesbristlesbristlesbecomebecomebecomebecome frayed.frayed.frayed.frayed.

With use, the ends of your toothbrush bristlesbecome dulled and the bristles themselves canbecome frayed. This really affects the cleaningability of your toothbrush, which is why Sun Citydentists recommend that you replace it every threeor four months. Frayed bristles are hopelesslyineffective at removing plaque and food debrisfrom the crowns and at the gum line, so you won’tbe getting the clean you need to maintain good oralhygiene and fresh breath.

StayStayStayStay TunedTunedTunedTuned forforforfor PartPartPartPart 2222

Stay tuned for the second installment of this two-part article series in which an experiencedSun City dentist gives us advice on the best and worst toothbrushingtoothbrushingtoothbrushingtoothbrushing habitshabitshabitshabits.