Monthly Archives: October 2021

3 Easy Ways to Keep Thug Bugs From Growing on Your Toothbrush

Have you ever looked at your toothbrush under a microscope?

I have, and it’s pretty freaky when you see all the little goobers that are clinging to the bristles.

A toothbrush is a great place for thug bugs to hang out, just waiting for another chance to recolonize your mouth.

To stop your toothbrushes from becoming a petri dish, you simply need to understand the environment that these thug bugs need to thrive.

By removing one or more of these conditions, you can rest easy with the knowledge that your toothbrushes are not being used as thug bug nurseries.

Fortunately, it’s really simple to keep your toothbrush free from thug bugs without having to spend any money on those newfangled toothbrush sanitizers.

Getting to know thug bugs…

The bacteria implicated with gum disease are called ‘gram-negative bacteria’.

They are anaerobic, which simply means that they thrive in low-oxygen environments.

If it had to be described as the perfect space for thug bugs, it would be a warm, dark, moist, low-oxygen environment. This is why thug bugs grow so well in oral gum pockets.

Knowing this, it’s easy to stop your toothbrush from being a thug bug sanctuary. All you need to do is remove one or more of the conditions that they require.

Here are three simple strategies you can use to keep your toothbrush germ-free.

1. Let your toothbrush fully dry out between brushings.

To allow your toothbrush to fully dry out before you use it again, you need to have more than one brush and rotate through them during the week.

This allows each brush to fully dry out before it’s used again. Since thug bugs require a moist environment, allowing the brush to dry fully helps to prevent them from living on your brush.

2. Give your brush a sunbath.

Sunlight is a powerful cleaner/disinfectant. 

Leaving your brush on a sunny windowsill for the day will allow it to fully dry and it will also take advantage of the disinfecting power of natural sunlight.

The best part about this strategy is that it’s free. So, you don’t have to purchase one of those fancy ‘brush sanitizers’ and wonder whether it’s doing its job to clean your brush.

3. Soak the bristles in hydrogen peroxide overnight.

For anyone who doesn’t have a sunny windowsill and who only has one toothbrush, here’s a third option to keep it free from thug bugs.

Just add some peroxide (3% is fine) into a small glass and put the brush head (bristles down) into the peroxide overnight.

Peroxide is a very oxygen-rich environment. So, it does a very good job of robbing these low-oxygen-environment-loving thug bugs of a major condition they need to survive.

When you’re ready to use your brush, simply remove it from the peroxide, give it a quick rinse with water, and you’re all set to begin your brushing routine.

But never try to clean it in the dishwasher or microwave…

One more note, never try to clean your toothbrush by putting it in the dishwasher or microwave. 

The high temperatures will damage the brush and you may also wind up damaging your dishwasher and/or microwave.

https://orawellness.com/3-easy-ways-to-keep-thug-bugs-from-growing-on-your-toothbrush/

Ensuring better oral health for the whole family

When it comes to increasing oral health awareness in the family, it’s important to remember that brushing and flossing aren’t enough to attain or maintain good dental health.

98% of every man, woman, and child in the United States has some form of oral disease. And among those folks, 90% of adults and 65% of 15-year-olds specifically have signs of active gum disease.

So if brushing and flossing alone created oral health and most people did at least one of these things habitually, wouldn’t these numbers be much, much lower?

Parents want the best for their children at all times. For example, many of us were raised on Twinkies and Lucky Charms (actually, I preferred Ding Dongs and Trix 🙂 –just name your poison). However, parents today want to give their children the finest start possible, especially if they themselves did not have the best nutritious start.

Circling back to our oral hygiene routine, it’s vital to note that children learn a great deal from seeing their parents go about their daily lives. As a result, taking charge of our dental health is the best thing we can do to enhance oral health for everyone in the family.

What is conscious flossing?

The term “conscious flossing” describes bringing awareness and attention to the routine habit of flossing.

By paying attention while flossing, a lot can be learned about what’s going on in our mouths, and this information can have a huge impact on the ability to create greater oral health.

How to floss consciously

1.  Start with a piece of floss that’s long enough for you to be able to use a new segment of floss between each set of teeth.

2.  Stop and look at the floss after each flossing point. Look for any discoloration on the floss. Any color (blood or yellowish color) is a clear sign that you have an active infection in the gum pockets around those teeth.

3.  Step three requires some courage, so be strong! 🙂 Smell the floss. Yep, smell it after each contact you clean. A bad smell on the floss is also a sign of an active infection in the gum pockets around those teeth. And yes, if you find any smelly floss, that directly contributes to the smell from your mouth that your partner has come to recognize as normal.

4.  As you floss, feel for any pain, sensitivity, or signs of swelling.

Wrapping up…

Once your children see you floss consciously, they will begin to do the same.

Everyone in the family will have a better understanding of how to create greater oral health in their own life. That’s what we call a win/win for all!!!

https://orawellness.com/how-to-create-greater-oral-health-for-the-whole-family/