Can your toothbrush make you sick?

by Rebecca on March 10   ///   7 Comments

Toothbrush & cup

Photo Credit: eszter.

My boyfriend was recently sick and as he was recovering, he asked, “Do we have a new toothbrush?”

I furrowed my brow because I was fairly certain we had just replaced our toothbrushes a few weeks ago.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because my old toothbrush has germs on it from being sick!” he replied.

Oh, dear. I assured him that was certainly not the case, and since I wouldn’t tell him where the new toothbrushes were, the subject was dropped. Well, last week I came across an article that showed I was right!

While advertising from toothbrush manufacturers may claim you should switch toothbrushes when you have a cold (A sticker on Colgate toothbrush packages warns consumers: “Got A Cold? Change your toothbrush.”  Competitor Arm & Hammer offers the same warning that toothbrushes should be replaced “anytime you’ve had a cold or have been ill since germs may be lurking among the bristles.“), you cannot re-catch a cold from a toothbrush.

No, unless you’re sharing someone else’s toothbrush (ew), your cold germs won’t be lingering on your toothbrush, reports the Huffington Post.

“Once you’ve been infected with a particular strain of a virus, you develop antibodies that make the likelihood of re-infection very low. Even if the virus were still hanging out on your toothbrush after you recovered — colds and flus can survive there in an infective state for anywhere from a few hours to three days — those antibodies should keep you from contracting the same illness twice. Your toothbrush is no more dangerous while you’re still sick, since the viral load on the bristles is negligible compared with what’s already in your system.”

Now, this only applies to the common cold. If you have something like strep throat, definitely change up your toothbrush because bacteria can and will linger, although toothpaste may kill it.

The American Dental Association also recommends replacing your toothbrush every three to four months, once the bristles are frayed and worn, but not in the aftermath of every cold.

So, there you have it. Are you replacing your toothbrush too much or too little?

  

  • Jennifer Arnott

    When I’m sick I always soak my toothbrush regularly in Listerine to kill any germs. It’s much cheaper than replacing your toothbrush all the time.

  • http://blog.alice.com Rebecca Thorman

    @ Jennifer – Ooh, good idea! I didn’t think about that… thanks for sharing :)

  • SW

    I use peroxide. Listerine’s a good idea, too.

  • MA

    I always toss the toothbrushes into the dishwasher once a week. I wash all the other dishes we eat off of. Once we had stomach virus we couldn’t get rid of and I washed them. And I have been doing it ever since. We do seem to get over illness as a family faster too. When we are sick, I toss the toothbrushes into the dishwasher everytime I run it. Might as well, can’t hurt!

  • Karen

    Seriously, who gets sick that often? And who would wait 3-4 months to buy a new toothbrush ? I replace mine monthly. And I certainly don’t get a cold every 3 months!!

  • InvisiGyrl

    Right, and all that hard plaque left on the brush gives no space for bugs to thrive.
    I’m with the Boyfriend. Change it out if you’ve been sick, it’s only a couple bucks.
    Far cheaper than DR visit and labs, lost wages and hassle factor.

  • http://blog.alice.com Rebecca Thorman

    @ SW – Nice!

    @ MA – Interesting! I’ve never heard that… I wonder if it’s better than just washing with toothpaste?

    @ Karen – I think the dentist recommended replacement is 3-4 months. And lots of people get colds and allergies every time the weather changes, unfortunately :)

    @ InvisiGirl – Yeah… well, I’ll say he didn’t get sick again :) Definitely if he had strep we would change it, but since we had just put new ones out, I didn’t really see the point. Thanks for weighing in!

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