How prevent germ buildup on your toothbrush

Television mouthwash commercials emphasize the importance of rinsing daily with an anti-bacterial product. But it is just as important to take care of your toothbrush to keep it clean and hygienic for each day's use. Most people keep toothbrushes sitting on a bathroom counter, where research shows a significant amount of germs can accumulate. Think of flushing toilets and spraying showers that can spread millions of germs all over bathroom surfaces, including your toothbrush.

To keep that from happening, here are a few basic care tips for every family member's toothbrush:

1. Cover at least the head of your toothbrush. You can buy toothbrushes with clear plastic covers that fit over the bristles to keep them free of airborne or hand-held contamination. Dental researchers used to believe that open-air storage was best for toothbrushes to allow circulation that would help control bacterial growth. But newer research shows that bathroom surfaces contain high levels of germs that can infest toothbrushes. Since these are used in the moist, warm areas of the mouth, which provides a vital breeding ground for germs, users can literally get sick from dirty toothbrushes. Recent studies show that clear handles or covers allow light, if not air, to penetrate to the brush and kill certain germs that way.

2. Keep toothbrushes tucked away. Store yours in a toothbrush container, typically shaped as a cylinder, to prevent any type of germs from settling on any part of the utensil. Kids' grimy fingers fresh from a mud pile can contaminate a toothbrush handle simply by moving it out of the way to wash their hands. Avoid any such problem by storing yours in a drawer or inside the medicine cabinet when not using it.

3. Sterilize your toothbrush after you've had a virus. People with colds or other viral illnesses can pass along these infections to the bristles of their toothbrush, where they can multiply and reinfect the user within a few hours. If you can't seem to get over a cold, maybe it's because your toothbrush keeps reinvesting you with the same virus until your body builds enough immunity to fight it off. Place your toothbrush in hot boiled water for at least three minutes. Or pour boiled water over the brush for a couple of minutes to kill germs.

4. Replace your toothbrush every three months. Dentists used to recommend replacement after six months of use, but some now advocate a more rapid turnover, since bacteria can breed quickly. Plus, bristles can become worn or even fall out, leaving your toothbrush inadequately equipped to thoroughly clean your teeth. Getting rid of an old toothbrush means you also eliminate any lurking germs that may still adhere to the bristles.

5. Rinse your brush with mouthwash. If you're in too much of a hurry to buy a new toothbrush or boil water for sterilizing a used one, at least pour mouthwash over the head before using it. Or you can soak your toothbrush head in a half-cup of mouthwash once a week to help control bacterial growth.

Taking a few precautionary measures like these can improve your oral and overall health.