Wash your toothbrush you detty pig. Ok, that’s a bit of a dramatic way of putting it.
But once you hear this dentist’s warning, you’ll forgive me.
Dentist Dr Ellie Phillips took to TikTok to share the disturbing truth about just how dirty your toothbrush actually is.
And it’s going to give you the shivers, prepare yourself.
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Phillips captioned the video: “Do this with your toothbrush every day,” as she explained it’s going to help you have the ‘best oral health possible’ and avoid ‘unnecessary dental treatments’.
She explained that, while many of us might be aware by now of just how dangerous mould can be, we might be ignoring a vital place that it’s building up in our bathrooms.
“Toothbrushes get really dirty,” the dentist says, “especially when they’re close to a toilet, in a damp climate where there’s humidity, in your shower, in your bathroom.
“And humidity is the worst thing for growing mould and actually allowing harmful bacteria to multiply inside the bristles, around the deeper parts of the bristles in your toothbrush.”
Yep, you’re reading this right. Mould could be casually growing away inside the bristles of your toothbrush – those same bristles that are brushing along your teeth at least twice a day.
The dentist says: “You can’t wash these bristles well enough, you can’t dip them in hot water and try to boil them.”
According to Phillips, the ‘only way’ to rid that nasty ‘biofoam bacteria that get picked up and live in your toothbrush’ is to leave it to dry out for 24 hours.
She explains: “Get your toothbrush, put it somewhere in a cup or in ice.”
Then, simply leave it to air dry.
But if the same bathroom that you were planning to pop your drying out toothbrush in is always getting used by other people, or is particularly damp, then leave it somewhere else.
Phillips even advises just putting it ‘in your bedroom’ or the kitchen.
“Put it somewhere in the window where it can dry in the sunshine,” she advises. “And use one toothbrush in the evening and a different toothbrush in the morning.
“So it has 24 hours before you’re going to use it again.”
Yep, prepare to be nicknamed two-toothbrush kid, but at least you’ll be mould free on those teeth.
Users commented to say: “New fear = unlocked.”
And others echoed: “I stopped keeping my toothbrush in the bathroom for a while now,” as they try and avoid that damp effect.
Jess Battison