How much would you be willing to pay for a toothbrush? Although it is unlikely, a few years ago the Reinast brand launched a manual toothbrush, innovative design and manufactured in titanium, which cost around $ 4,000. Nothing to do, it is clear, with rudimentary toothbrushes made of eucalyptus and olive twigs that The Babylonians manufactured in the year 3,500then concerned about the health of his mouth.
The bristle toothbrush that we used today was probably invented in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907). The bristles were, in fact, hard and rough hair extracted from the neck of a pig and fixed to mangoes made of bone or bamboo. Jabali bristles were used until 1938, when The multinational Dupont de Nemours introduced the sows of Nylonnot only were they more flexible and resistant, but they cleaned better, dried faster and suffered less bacterial contamination. The current average toothbrush contains about 2,500 bristles made with synthetic fibers.
Lower the toilet lid
Brushing your teeth is tremendously beneficial, because it reduces the accumulation of the dental plate and maintains the healthy oral cavity, preventing conditions such as Dental caries, periodontal diseases, endodontic lesions, dry alveolitis or halitosis. But what happens if the toothbrush itself is contaminated? After all, we talk about a microenvironment especially predisposed to house microorganisms, because it comes into contact with the mouth and water daily.
In fact, used tooth brushes house mixed microbial communities, which come from both humans and the surrounding environment where they are stored, which, in general, is the bathroom. Another place, no doubt, full of germs. A contaminated toothbrush can retain and transmit pathogenic microorganisms of The genres Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Poryphromonas, Pluvimonas, Candida, Lactobacillus, Klebsiella, Fusobacterium, Clostridium, Escherichia and Enterococcus. And so It could be harmful to oral and systemic health and cause caries, gingivitis and even infectious endocarditis. What is still a paradox, since it was created to keep your mouth clean and free of germs.
Fundamentally, toothbrushes can be contaminated by the lack of hygiene of the oral cavity, by using them with dirty hands or for choosing an inappropriate storage place.
The presence of fecal coliform enterobacteria in the toothbrush is associated with contact with the aerosols generated when downloading the toilet tank. For this reason, the toilet lid should always lower.
Toothbrushes are not shared
A clean toothbrush can also be contaminated through direct contact with the brushes of the members of the same family or cohabiting, when placing it in containers that are usually wet in the sink or in the bathroom cabinets.
In addition, dental brushing without supervision in nurseries, childhood gardens and other facilities that house young children, where toothbrushes can be shared or exchanged involuntarily, is considered a Potential source of microbes transmission between children.
In general, it is not a good idea to share toothbrushes. In fact, toothbrushes can be, for example, a possible route of Hepatitis C unconventional transmission or the Herpes simplex.
Replace brushes every 3 months
More than 800 types of microorganisms, including fungi, viruses, arches, protozoa and bacteria, colonize human oral cavity. Although there is a considerable overlap of species detected in all oral sites, such as certain species of Streptococcus, Twin, Granulicatella, Neisseria and Prevotella, There is often specificity depending on the site. For example, species of Rothia typically colonize the tongue or surfaces of the teeth, Simonsiella Colonizes only the hard palate, Streptococcus salivarius It is present mainly in the tongue and the treponemas are generally restricted to the subgingival groove. All these microorganisms can be trapped among the bristles after tooth brushing.
Among common oral bacteria stands out Streptococcus mutanswhich is a usual component of the oral microbiota and one of the main constituents of the dental plaque, in addition to the main cause of caries.
Greashed tooth brushes are less efficient in the elimination of plate and gingivitis control. But, in addition, several studies suggest that these worn brushes are more likely to harbor to Streptococcus mutans. Hence, it is appropriate to replace brushes every three or four months, or more frequently if it is detected that the sows are visibly deformed, tangled or frayed.
However, even after a phase of use of only 24 hours, it has been shown that Toothbrushes are widely contaminated with Streptococcus mutans.
Rinse the brush well and dry in the air
Some simple tips that avoid or hinder microbial contamination consist of rinseing tooth brushes well after each use, to eliminate any rest of dentifric paste and organic waste, and save them in vertical position, letting them dry in the air. After using it, saving a wet toothbrush in a closed container promotes microbial growth rather than leaving it exposed outdoors.
To avoid infections, without a doubt, you have to brush. But oral hygiene will not be optimal if we do not care to keep our toothbrush, clean and decontaminated.
