Toothbrushes: Americans Would Rather Brush than Drive!

Is your toothbrush one of your most precious possessions? Could you survive without one? In a recent survey, participants were asked to choose the invention they could not live without and 34 percent of teens and 42 percent of adults chose their toothbrush over a personal computer, automobile, microwave, or a cell phone. Would you choose your toothbrush? Dr. Dassani hopes you would!

We know that toothbrushes have been around for at least 5,000 years; hopefully yours is newer! Lots of different materials have been used including sticks, bones, horse hair, rags, pig bristle, badger hair, and finally synthetic fibers. They have only been mass produced for a few hundred years and have not changed very much in the past 70, except for the advancement of animal bristles to nylon ones. Toothbrushes have been around longer than deodorant, the toilet and even soap!

In Houston, TX there are a lot of choices in the toothbrush aisle and it can get kind of confusing trying to pick one out. There are soft, medium and hard bristles, electric and manual, tongue cleaners, flex heads, gum stimulators…the list goes on and on. If you have any questions, Dr. Dassani is more than happy to help you sort out your options and get the one that is right for you.

Once you have a toothbrush, where you keep it is very important, especially in relation to all the other dirty things in your bathroom. First of all, try to store it at least six feet away from your toilet to avoid airborne…contamination. Closing the lid before you flush will also keep bacteria to a minimum. Keep your toothbrush in a holder away from other items, including other toothbrushes and make sure to keep your holder free of standing water and crusty toothpaste. You should always replace your toothbrush every three months, or after every time you get sick.

We now spend $775 million dollars each year on toothbrushes, but that money is well spent because an average American spends more than 38 days of their life brushing their teeth. To use your toothbrush right, you should be brushing two or three times a day, for 2-3 minutes each time. So, is your toothbrush important to you? After all that, Dr. Dassani thinks it should be to everyone in Houston, TX.

Sources

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2003/lemelson.html

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/tooth.html

About Meghna Dassani, DMD

Dr. Meghna Dassani received her initial dental training from the University of Mumbai, India, where she graduated in 1996 as Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). After working as an associate for one year, she established her own practice in Mumbai, India. She successfully operated this practice for six years prior to moving to the US. When Dr. Meghna Dassani is not in the office she is at home being a mommy to her 2 beautiful girls and enjoying time relaxing with her husband. Since opening her own practice in 2011 she doesn’t have a lot of free time but when the time allows she enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, cooking, visiting with friends and family and of course SHOPPING with a Starbucks in her hand!