The Look Of Your Brush May Tell How Well You Are Brushing Your Teeth

While you're supposed to replace your toothbrush every three months, you're used toothbrush can start to tell you certain things about your brushing habits. Those habits may indicate whether or not you're brushing your teeth properly. Here's what your toothbrush may be telling you about your brushing habits based on the shape of its bristles.

1. Slanted Bristles

If you take a close look at your bristles and discover that they're mostly slanting in one direction instead of being upright, then it may indicate that you only brush one side of your teeth. Consistently brushing only the exterior of your teeth is a bad habit.

The inside of your teeth, the side closest to your tongue, is just as important to clean as the exterior of your teeth. This is the area that comes in direct contact with your tongue. While your tongue may be able to wipe away food particles and debris, it also brushes bacteria onto the teeth.

This is because your tongue is covered in bacteria. Some of the bacteria are good while the rest could be the cause of your bad breath. By brushing the bad bacteria on the inside of your teeth, it can quickly start to make your gums deteriorate.

You need to carefully brush both the exterior and interior of your teeth to fully remove all bacteria and food particles.

2. Crushed Bristles

Perhaps one of the most common physical signs that you're brushing too hard is a crushed toothbrush head. If your bristles are smooshed down or the bristles look like they've recently been electrocuted, then it could indicate that you brush extremely hard on your teeth.

This isn't a good brushing habit to adopt. Brushing hard may seem like it's more effective at removing stubborn food particles and plaque, but it can actually cause damage to your teeth and gums as well.

When you brush hard, you're raking the bristles against your teeth over and over. The pressure may make the bristles scratch your teeth to the point where holes form. As soon as bacteria enter those holes, you may find yourself with a new cavity.

Brushing hard can also impact the health of your gums. Unlike your teeth, your gums are extremely sensitive to sensation and temperature. When you brush against them hard, you can actually rip or scratch your gums. This may result in bleeding.

It also means your gums may become infected. Perhaps you've experienced canker sore because you bit your cheek before. That occurs when bacteria enter the wound caused by your teeth. The same thing can occur with your gums that were wounded by your hard brushing.

The wound becomes infected. Your gums may become inflamed and cause other oral problems.

3. Discolored Bristles

All bristles have some form of color to them. If you've noticed that your toothbrush is looking a little bland compared to its original color, then it may be time to replace your toothbrush. Using toothbrushes past their lifespan is a poor decision because it can impact your oral health.

Even if you carefully clean your toothbrush after each use, there's likely still particles and bacteria clinging to the bristles. While you can get away with using the same toothbrush for some time, you're not giving yourself as thorough of a cleaning process after the three-month mark has passed.

If your toothbrush has lost color, then it's time to grab another one.

Replace Your Toothbrush Today

To ensure you have a clean mouth and healthy toothbrush, use a bamboo toothbrush. You can help the environment and your teeth at the same time.