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When was the last time you changed your toothbrush? The ADA (American Dental Association) recommends replacing a toothbrush every 3 or 4 months. From viewing the pictures above you may think that the toothbrush needs to be replaced because it looks "dirty". According to the CDC, (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) millions and millions of microorganisms inhabit our mouths. Our trusty toothbrushes are not just havens for potentially pathogenic bacteria; these bad boys harbor blood, saliva, and other debris as well. To your surprise, even though, there's all those "dirty" things on our toothbrushes that's not why the ADA recommends changing it so often. The changing period is based on the wear and tear of the bristles, which consequently may cause the toothbrush to become less effective. So, all that debris seen in the pictures is most likely just the bristle material being torn and scraped from my 3 months of brushing. (Want to look at the pictures of the new OralB toothbrush, just click me!)

~S. Fessler

http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/infectioncontrol/fact_sheet/toothbrushes.htm