Dentist issues warning to people who regularly brush their teeth in the shower
A dentist is warning Brits about the dangers of brushing your teeth in a certain location that thousands of people do the daily activity in.
By brushing your teeth in this spot, you could risk causing yourself serious harm and becoming sick, he has explained.
Taking care of our teeth is a daily task, with healthcare professionals recommending we do it twice a day in order to keep nasties such as plaque and bacteria at bay.
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Not only does it help keep them healthy and strong, but it can stop them from going yellow if you brush them in the right way, with some simple tips available to get them pearly white again if you find yours have become discoloured.
Using mouthwash has become another way to keep our mouths clean and healthy, which combined with flossing and visiting a dentist for check ups, should mean you're doing everything in your power to keep them healthy in to your later years.
But despite this, people still make mistakes, with one dentist issuing a warning to those who brush their teeth in a very particular location.
No, we're not talking about at the sink. That is, quelle surprise, the most obvious place to do the twice a day task.
Doctor Zaeem, from electric toothbrush manufacturer Ordo, has issued advice on some of the most common everyday mistakes we’re making with our oral health care routine and tells us what we should be doing instead.
And within there, he's hit out at those who decide the best place to brush your teeth is in the shower.
While this is an absolutely bizarre location as far as this journalist is concerned, it is, apparently, something many people do on a daily basis.
The logic makes sense, by combining your daily cleaning routines all in to one place. But doing this leaves you open to a big risk of falling ill.
"For some people this seems like an obvious place to brush your teeth as you're conveniently also washing the rest of your body," Dr Zaeem says.
"However, it’s not a good idea to brush your teeth in the shower as moisture in the shower can create an ideal environment for bacteria to grow.
"This means that your perfectly clean toothbrush is now exposed to bacteria and therefore so is your mouth. The heat from the shower can also damage the bristles on a toothbrush."
So not only can it make your toothbrush ineffective, the heat and steam from the shower can mean the bristles become a breeding ground for horrible bacteria that you're about to put right in to your mouth. Not nice, best avoided as far as we're concerned.
Dr Zaeem says says that replacing the head of your toothbrush should be done regularly.
He says: "All brush heads wear out over time, this means that they will be less effective at cleaning, more susceptible to contamination and potentially damaging to teeth and gums.
"We would always recommend changing the brush head on sonic toothbrushes or manual toothbrushes every two to three months. This way, you can be sure your toothbrush is performing at its best."
Tom Earnshaw