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Remember when you had COVID or that time you had a sore throat, mouth infection, flu, or cold? Were you able to change your toothbrush afterward? If you haven’t, see to it that you change your toothbrush the moment you get better from a cold. According to a dentist in Pembroke Pines, you should change your toothbrush every three to four months.

When Should You Change Your Toothbrush?

Patients With Gum Disease

People with gum disease or compromised immune systems should change their toothbrushes every seven weeks. Changing your toothbrush will ensure that your gums and teeth don’t come in contact with existing bacteria stuck on the bristles. 

Recovering Patients

Patients recovering from major surgery should replace their toothbrushes every few days because their susceptibility to infection is increased at that time. A toothbrush can be used to reinfect a bacterial illness. If you had strep throat, a colony of streptococcal bacteria may end up on your brush and stay there long enough to give you a second infection after you’ve finished your antibiotic treatment. 

Once you’ve been infected with a particular viral strain, your body produces antibodies that make re-infection extremely unlikely. Viruses cause the common cold and flu. Those antibodies should prevent you from getting sick again. To be on the safe side, dental professionals still recommend changing your toothbrush.

Toothbrush Care as Recommended by a Dentist in Pembroke Pines

Before and after your dental routine, never forget to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. Rinse your toothbrush with warm water after brushing and store it upright to dry. Likewise, do note that you shouldn’t put your toothbrush in a closed container or cover it until it’s entirely dry. Bacterial development can be aided by a damp atmosphere. 

Want to know more about toothbrush care or other dental hygiene techniques? Schedule an appointment with us!