Caring For Your Child’s Toothbrush

Posted November 10, 2015

Before you had children, you might not have given too much thought to your toothbrush. Sure, you may have made sure to purchase a soft-bristle brush according to your dentist’s suggestions – you may have even replaced it once every three months, as you should. Whether it was super clean, wet, dry, or otherwise? This may not have bothered you. However, now that you have children, the fact that toothbrushes tend to harbor bacteria may cause you to feel somewhat anxious. As a result, parents often feel uncertain about how to approach this confusing preventive care topic. Allow us to help!

Avoid An Ever-Wet Toothbrush

When you leave for a weeklong trip with your child in tow, how do you pack his or her toothbrush? If you’re using a case or toothbrush cover, this is completely fine. However, what you don’t want to do is end up with a toothbrush that remains completely wet the entire trip – this is a breeding ground for bacteria. Just make sure you remove the toothbrush once you’ve reached your destination, so it can dry. This will ensure the brush remains safe for preventive care use.

Avoid Obsessive Toothbrush Sterilization

Do you eye your child’s toothbrush with a growing desire to hold it under scalding hot water, rinse it with rubbing alcohol, or to attempt other somewhat intense cleaning method? You don’t need to sterilize your child’s brush, so say goodbye to these ideas that can cause more harm than good.

Consider Simple Advice

Make sure that you or your child rinses the toothbrush after use. You can just rinse it under the running water you’ve used during your brushing session and then let the brush dry. That’s really all it takes to keep the brush ready for daily preventive care at home.