What does your toothbrush reveal about your mouth?

Your toothbrush will give some hints about your brushing habits and dental health. Do you sense a filthy smell in your toothbrush bristles or notice atypical stuff on your toothbrush after brushing? Such strange things indicate harmful microbes are invading your oral cavity. Similarly, it indicates wrong brushing habits as well.

For instance, if your toothbrush bristles start to fade, stick down in different directions after using for a few weeks, it means you are brushing your teeth aggressively. Such constant pressure and force of the bristles against the teeth can have a wreck on your teeth enamel as well as the toothbrush bristles.

Here are the most common abnormal things seen on toothbrushes widely and the problems they symbolize.

1) The toothbrush is strangely colored

If you notice the bristles are strangely colored after brushing, it means you are taking too much candies.

As the candies contain artificial sweeteners and coloring agents, they are stuck between the teeth and are hard to identify with naked eyes. When the bristles scrape such deposits like technicolor dyes, they make the bristles appear strangely colored.

It indicates you should take less sugary particles like candies and drink more water. You might know taking excessive sugar substances will feed oral bacteria, produce acids and eventually end in cavities.

2) Stinky bristles

The unpleasant odor emits from the toothbrush bristles indicates you are not storing your toothbrush properly.

In most cases, such unpleasant smell occurs due to the accumulation of microbes such as Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, etc. As the oral bacteria stick to the bristles when you brush, you should wash them thoroughly and let them dry. Otherwise, the microbes take advantage of the moisture and begin to breed.

Another possible cause of such stinky bristles is keeping the toothbrush in your bathroom. In such cases, you should cover the toothbrush with a cap else the bathroom bacteria deposit over the bristles. Besides making the toothbrush stinky, it will introduce harmful bacteria into your mouth.

3) Bristles are red or pink-tinted

People suffering from gum diseases encounter bleeding in the gums while brushing. Some of those blood drops are tinted as red or pink drops over the bristles. It means they are a sign of infection in gums which should be treated without delay. Otherwise, the gum disease will progress and reach its advanced stage. It is had to treat.

4) Fade, worn bristles

Generally, the toothbrush bristles begin to wear down over time. Brushing with such worn bristles will hurt teeth and gums. This is why dentists and oral hygienists recommend everyone should replace their toothbrushes every 3 months. It is inevitable even though you brush gently because the bristles become weak due to regular brushing.

When you see your toothbrush bristles start to thin, fade, bending down in different directions, replace it with a new one.

Do you notice any other strange things in your toothbrush bristles? Feel free to ask us in the comment section or book your appointment with our dentists here. We will reply.