When is it time to replace a toothbrush?


Most manufacturers recommend every three months. The truth is it depends on how often and how hard you brush your teeth. A new tooth brush usually has nylon bristles that are set at approximately 90 degrees. This is the angle where they are deemed to have the maximum cleaning efficiency. After a period of time the bristles tend to stretch and flare out giving the brush a "flayed" appearance. At this point the brush becomes a less efficient cleaning device since fewer bristles are making contact with a tooth .

The above photograph shows my tooth brush this morning. The top photo was taken later after I replaced the brush head. Its pretty obvious that the top brush should be more effective at cleaning teeth. How long should it take before replacing your brush. There is no sure fire answer but if you brush gets flared in a month or less you either brushing your teeth too often or your using too much pressure when using it.

from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2018/06/when-is-it-time-to-replace-toothbrush.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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