{"id":11,"date":"2018-03-27T17:54:18","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T17:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/blog\/?p=11"},"modified":"2025-11-11T22:16:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T22:16:12","slug":"dont-share-your-toothbrush-or-your-bacteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/blog\/dont-share-your-toothbrush-or-your-bacteria\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Share Your Toothbrush (or Your Bacteria)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"171\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/toothbrush-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"Four toothbrushes in a clear cup\" class=\"wp-image-48\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/toothbrush-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/toothbrush.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The foundational steps of oral care\u2013brushing and flossing on a daily basis and visiting the dentist for routine dental checkups\u2013are important to help you achieve stable dental health. However, there may be additional steps required to help you improve your oral health and keep oral issues at bay, and our team is happy to recommend some tips, including toothbrush care. Today we encourage patients to beware of sharing toothbrush, as these can spread harmful bacteria and illnesses between users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Every smile has a unique combination of bacterial particles dwelling in the mouths, and these can transfer to the toothbrush each time it is used. While this may not affect your oral health, the transfer of bad bacteria to someone else\u2019s smile through shared use of a toothbrush can result in oral issues and illnesses. For example, bleeding gums that occur during tooth brushing can transfer blood-borne illnesses such as herpes and hepatitis to another person who then uses that toothbrush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of sharing oral care products, we encourage you to use alternative steps to clean your smile if you need a toothbrush but have to do without for a time. For example, popping a mint, swishing mouthwash around your smile, drinking peppermint tea or snacking on an apple can temporarily relieve a foul odor and help your mouth feel fresh until you are able to use your own toothbrush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At Gannett Drive Dental, patients can achieve straighter smiles with Invisalign clear aligners. Dr. Gagnon and our skilled team provide customized orthodontic plans designed to deliver lasting results. With personalized care and advanced technology, our practice helps patients transform their smiles comfortably and effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call us at (207) 253-5600 or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/contact.html\">request an appointment online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The foundational steps of oral care\u2013brushing and flossing on a daily basis and visiting the dentist for routine dental checkups\u2013are important to help you achieve stable dental health. However, there may be additional steps required to help you improve your oral health and keep oral issues at bay, and our team is happy to recommend [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Don\u2019t Share Your Toothbrush (or Your Bacteria) - Gannett Drive Dental Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gannettdrivedental.com\/blog\/dont-share-your-toothbrush-or-your-bacteria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t Share Your Toothbrush (or Your Bacteria) - Gannett Drive Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The foundational steps of oral care\u2013brushing and flossing on a daily basis and visiting the dentist for routine dental checkups\u2013are important to help you achieve stable dental health. 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