‘I’m a dentist – this is why you shouldn’t keep your toothbrush near the toilet’

It might seem logical to keep your oral care products in the bathroom – but some experts say you might want to think twice about where to put your toothbrush.

Dr. Ellie Phillips, DDS, an oral health educator based in Austin, Texas, shared a good reason why she would never recommend keeping your toothbrush near the toilet, especially in a small bathroom.

“Berms that come out of the toilet will fall into your crowd,” he warned. “And your toothbrush picks up all the germs in your mouth in one use.”

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“You can actually brush your teeth with a brand new toothbrush, take it off the end and send it to the lab, and they’ll give you a complete profile of your mouth,” Phillips added.

In a crowd with dense bristles, bacteria “can “shrink and multiply” and “become anaerobic,” meaning they can become aggressive, according to Phillips.

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“Toilet germs, or air from bathrooms, can interact with this and create a worse situation,” she said. “So, you’re going to share germs with the people you live with in the community.”

Bacteria in bathroom air can interact with your toothbrush, according to dental experts. (Stock)

This exposure to bacteria can contribute to the development of dental diseases that can take “a long time to develop,” warns Phillips.

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If keeping your toothbrush away from the toilet isn’t an option, Phillips recommends brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink.

The best way to clean a toothbrush is to let it dry completely, which will kill bacteria, the expert advises.

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He also recommends using a toothbrush that is not too soft, with “multiple bristles of different lengths” that can dry and clean the mouth more effectively.

The expert recommended using a toothbrush with medium bristles “with multiple bristles of different lengths.” (Stock)

“You don’t need a $350 toothbrush, but most toothbrushes don’t work. They’re too soft. They get infected easily, and you need to dry them,” she said.

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“Take care of yourself,” Phillips continued. “When your mouth is healthy with healthy bacteria and a healthy biofilm, it’s almost like an impervious inner skin over your teeth, gums and mouth that repels incoming bacteria.”