Shopping for a toothbrush is not an easy task. We are faced with a very complete offer of soft, hard, straight, flexible, curved brushes… In the end, sometimes even the temptation arises to choose the brush by color, so as not to complicate our lives.
But the toothbrush is a key element in our oral hygiene, so we should choose it carefully. The first thing we recommend is that you ask your trusted dentist for advice. Each mouth requires specific care, due to its size, tooth arrangement and oral health status, among other factors.
If you are curious to know more, we explain how to choose the most suitable toothbrush, how to keep it in optimal conditions and some curiosities.
How to choose a toothbrush
The toothbrush we choose will depend, as mentioned above, on the size of our mouth, the position of our teeth, our oral health conditions and other specific factors, such as whether we have recently undergone an implant.
- Toothbrush hardness. The general recommendation is to choose a toothbrush of medium hardness, since they remove plaque and food debris without damaging the enamel, and especially the gums. But if, for example, you suffer from gingivitis, periodontitis or tooth sensitivity, a soft toothbrush may be more advisable in the most delicate areas. After an oral surgery (wisdom tooth extraction or gum surgery), you may even want to use an extra-soft or post-surgical toothbrush.
- Brush size. Choose one that fits the size of your mouth, that is, one that can reach all the corners of your mouth. The most common is a small brush head, which allows you to clean better in the back and hard-to-reach areas.
- Handle features. Non-slip handles allow us to have greater control of brushing movements, and also do not slip when they get wet. On the other hand, the flexible handles are more comfortable to handle and reach any part of the mouth more easily.
- Brush filaments. The most frequent and advisable are nylon. The tips should be rounded to avoid damaging tooth enamel and gums, and the filaments should be soft, as they are more respectful with teeth and gums. Brushes with inclined filaments reach the different concavities of the mouth and teeth better.
- Manual or electric? Electric toothbrushes are recommended when the person has some limitation to perform manual cleaning. Otherwise, we can perfectly opt for a manual one. Remember that the estimated time needed for proper brushing is 3 minutes. The average time used by most people is less than half that. This means that an electric toothbrush can be more efficient than a manual one, all things being equal.
- What if my gums bleed? On many occasions we associate bleeding gums with damage to the gums caused by brushing. Under this approach, it would make sense to replace the toothbrush with a softer one, something that we frequently encounter with our patients. But nothing could be further from the truth. If our gums bleed during brushing, in a general and frequent way, it means that there is an inflammation of the gums. It is usually due to an accumulation of plaque, tartar or both. The way to treat it is to improve hygiene with a brush of medium hardness and apply a mouthwash with chlorhexidine. But the most important thing is to visit our dentist, because if we have tartar (something highly probable) we will not be able to remove it with a conventional toothbrush, and the gum disease will continue to advance.
Toothbrush care and maintenance
It is very important to change the toothbrush when the filaments are worn or twisted, or every three months, whichever comes first. According to some studies, new brushes remove up to 30% more plaque than brushes that are three months old.
- Clean the brush thoroughly after each use, and allow it to air dry in an upright position (in a glass or toothbrush holder).
- Do not store your toothbrush in a brush case, as humidity promotes the growth of microorganisms and bacteria.
- Do not share your toothbrush, not even sporadically. Do not keep it in contact with other toothbrushes.
Curiosities about toothbrushes
- The most popular color for the brush is blue. This is probably because the color blue is associated with hygiene and health.
- In 2003, Americans chose the toothbrush as the number one invention they could not live without, ahead of the car and the computer.
- The first “toothbrushes” were used by Egyptians and Babylonians as early as 3500 B.C. and consisted of chewing the ends of small twigs until the tip became soft.
- The Chinese were the first to make toothbrushes more similar to today’s toothbrushes, with pig bristles embedded in ivory, bone or bamboo handles.