It may seem logical to keep your oral care products in the bathroom – but some experts say you might want to think twice about where to place your toothbrush.
Dr. Ellie Phillips, DDS, an oral health educator based in Austin, Texas, shared the gross reason she’d never recommend keeping your toothbrush near a toilet, especially in a small bathroom.
“The bacteria from the toilet will land on your toothbrush,” she warned. “And your toothbrush picks up all the bacteria in your mouth in a single use.”
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“You could actually brush your teeth with a brand-new toothbrush, clip off the end and send it to the lab, and they would give you the full profile of your mouth,” Phillips added.
In a toothbrush with dense bristles, bacteria can “go down and multiply” and then “become anaerobic,” which means it could become a more aggressive form, according to Phillips.
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“Toilet bacteria, or the air from bathrooms, can interact with this and create a worse scenario,” she said. “So, you will share the bacteria of people who you live in close community with.”
This exposure to bacteria can aid in the development of dental diseases that could take a “long time to form,” Phillips cautioned.
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If keeping your toothbrush away from the toilet is not an option, Phillips recommends brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink instead.
The best way to clean a toothbrush is to allow it to dry fully, which will kill bacteria, the expert advised.
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She also recommends using a toothbrush that isn’t too soft, with “lots of bristles at different lengths” that can dry itself and clean the mouth effectively.
“You don’t need $350 worth of a toothbrush, but many toothbrushes are not effective. They’re too soft. They get infected easily, and you need to dry them,” she said.
“Look after yourself,” Phillips went on. “If your mouth is healthy with healthy bacteria and a healthy biofilm, it’s almost like a bulletproof internal skin over your teeth, gums and mouth that rejects intruder bacteria.”
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