dentist Sacramento CA - What Types of Methods Work Best for Sanitizing Your Toothbrush? (2024)

dentist Sacramento CA - What Types of Methods Work Best for Sanitizing Your Toothbrush? (1)

In case it's slipped your mind- this is cold and flu season. And while you are doing everything you can to avoid germy carriers of the viruses that make us miserable, are you really doing everything you can to protect the one germy thing that invades your mouth every day?

While you don't always have to worry about sanitizing your toothbrush, there are times that you will need to sanitize your brush. If someone in your family has either the flu or a cold, you will need to sanitize everyone's toothbrush. Also, if someone gets strep throat, you need to make sure that everyone's toothbrush gets cleaned and sanitized, because strep throat is so contagious.

Ways to Sanitize Your Toothbrush

First, you can soak your toothbrush in antibacterial mouthwash for 5 minutes, then rinse the brush thoroughly and let it air dry. You can also use alcohol as well, as long as it is a cleansing-type of alcohol such as rubbing alcohol. Drinking alcohol with a high content of alcohol and not a high content of sugar can also work.

For either type of alcohol, soaking them for 5 minutes, rinsing the toothbrush and leaving it to dry is a good idea. If you don't like the idea of soaking your toothbrush in alcohol, try soaking it in hydrogen peroxide for the same amount of time, and letting it dry.

There are other ways you can sanitize your brush. Boiling in hot water for three minutes works, however, you need to realize that if you boil your toothbrush, you will ruin it over time, and you will need to change toothbrushes more often. Some people prefer to nuke their toothbrushes in the microwave for 3 minutes instead, because toothbrushes last longer than boiling. Dishwasher sanitizing works too, as long as you run the dishwasher with no soap on extra hot.

Buying a UV toothbrush sanitizer can also allow you to keep your toothbrush clean.

If you are not sure how to keep your mouth as clean and healthy as possible, why not give us a call? We would love to schedule an appointment to talk about your dental health.