Does your dental hygienist recommend changing your toothbrush or toothbrush head every 3 months? I promise this is not just to get you to spend more money. It's important for your daily oral hygiene, so make sure you follow your dental providers recommendation. There are many reasons why we make this recommendation.
1) When toothbrush heads are made, they are cut to be a certain height depending on the brush head and rounded to make them less abrasive on your enamel and gum tissue. When you use your toothbrush these rounded edges wear over time bringing back the rough jaggedness, which can cause recession as well as wear away the tooth enamel. If you see this wear occurring before 3 months, which can happen with our heavy handed brushers, you may want to consider changing your toothbrush sooner.
2) During a three month duration your toothbrush builds up bacteria in the bristles, this can affect your oral health as well as your general health. It's also important to remember a bathroom is filled with bacteria which can be airborne especially if you flush with the toilet seat up, and yes that same bacteria gets on your toothbrush.
3) A worn toothbrush simply does not clean your teeth at the end of the day. This wear can increase your risk of recession, root exposure, cavities and gum disease. It also makes your cleanings more difficult because you tend to have more bleeding and build up to remove.
I understand life gets busy and three months flies by, so how can I help make this a little easier for you? If you have a calendar I recommend writing it down, or putting it in as a reminder on your phone. You can set up automatic delivery through amazon for both manual toothbrushes and electric toothbrush heads. If you see your hygienist every 3 months I recommend changing it the day you have your appointment, if you go every 4 months I would change it every 2 months including the day of your appointment.
Happy Brushing!