Omaha television station KETV revealed that brushing your teeth may actually contribute to tooth decay and gum disease if your toothbrush isn't sanitized.
There are ways you can sanitize your toothbrush. Our students put three options to the test.
One group of students soaked their brushes after using them for 10 minutes in an antibacterial mouth rinse. Part of the group used Listerine. Another used a prescription rinse called Peridex.
In a third test, the students placed their brushes in a $30 Violight toothbrush sanitizer. Its makers say the ultraviolet light kills "up to 99.9 percent of bacteria" in seven minutes.
"The light shines on the bristles, but how far down on the toothbrush does it go? And, did it really get all the bacteria on the head of the toothbrush?" Westerman asked, before he subjected the Violight to more petrie dish testing.
The Listerine and Peridex treatments killed 98 to 99 percent of the bacteria, testing showed. The Violight also killed between 98 and 99 percent of bacteria.
Westerman suggested that brushers sanitize after each use with mouthwash or the Violight and then allow the brush to air dry. Don't store a brush in a drawer. Don't store it in a cover, which may trap bacteria inside. Don't soak your brush for hours in an antibacterial rinse -- 10 minutes is enough, then air dry.
Whether you have a manual or electric brush, dentists said, change the brush every three months.
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