If toothbrushes were sentient, they’d complain about their lot in life. Their thankless existence involves repeatedly cleaning one of the grimmest parts of the body, then being thrown out once their bristles are insufficiently effective. Or, in the case of electric toothbrushes, decapitated before resuming their duties with a fresh head.
This relentless cycle is essential for hygiene reasons: an ineffective brush can lead directly to tooth decay and gum disease. However, given the big dual crises of our time – climate and cost of living – it would certainly help for toothbrushes to last a bit longer. So what can we do to maximise their longevity without sacrificing dental hygiene?
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How to make your toothbrush last longer
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Don’t overcharge the battery
Every electric toothbrush has a battery inside the handle that, just as with a phone, will degrade over time. In most cases, this battery isn’t easily replaceable, so treating it well is essential.
“In general, it’s best not to charge your battery frequently, whether it’s ours or any other [toothbrush brand’s] batteries,” says Gyve Safavi, co-founder of the electric toothbrush maker Suri, which has made sustainability a key selling point.
Frequent charging erodes battery capacity, he says. “If you want it to last as long as possible, charge it overnight and leave it. Don’t charge it again until it goes out.”
Read our Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush review
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Keep it clean
You may think that keeping your brush clean is a hygiene-only issue, but it’s also helpful for bristle longevity.
“I have seen patients ruin heads more from storage habits than from brushing,” says Dr Alan McCaffrey, founder of Red Rock Dental in Las Vegas. “Both electric and manual brushes can last longer than most people think if they are cared for correctly, but they should never be used past the point where bristles are frayed or ineffective.
“One way to extend the life of the head is to rinse it thoroughly in hot water after every use and then let it air dry upright,” he says. “Moisture trapped at the base [of the bristle] is what causes buildup and weakens bristles faster.”
Dr Nicole Khalife, owner of Lux Smiles in New York, agrees. “Clean bristles dry faster than those that stay sticky. Dry bristles are less friendly to germs, and the brush lasts longer.”
Some toothbrushes come with travel caps: small covers that can be placed over the head of the brush to protect it from dirt and detritus in luggage. But you should only use them when on the road, Khalife says. “They protect the head from dirt in a suitcase, but at home, they trap moisture. Use a ventilated pouch instead of a solid cap and always let the brush dry before packing it.”
If your brush doesn’t fully dry between uses, you could switch between brushes or heads each day, McCaffrey suggests. “Giving the bristles a day to fully dry helps them keep their shape and stiffness for longer.”
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Look after the body
It’s not just the heads that need cleaning. There’s usually a visible gap between them and the body, and excess toothpaste can calcify around here, which could interfere with how the brush functions. Use a damp cloth to gently remove this, and then dry it thoroughly when done.
Allowing the brush to air dry is important, especially when it comes to charging. I’m pretty sure I got through a couple of Suri 1.0 chargers after repeated contact with a damp brush caused rust on the conductive metal connectors.
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Watch your technique
Storage is only one part of the toothbrush longevity puzzle. “Many people press hard because they think it makes their teeth cleaner,” says Khalife. “In fact, intense pressure bends the bristles and scratches the enamel. A gentle circular motion works better because the tips of the bristles sweep away plaque without flattening the fibres. Bristles that keep their shape will reach between teeth and along the gumline for the whole life of the brush.”
Electric toothbrushes have an advantage here, with users encouraged to let the motor’s vibrations do the work, rather than brushing as with manual ones.
“Electric toothbrushes are designed to help prevent over-brushing, which can cause damage to your enamel and gums,” says Barty Walsh, CEO and founder of electric toothbrush maker Ordo. “If you’re going through brush heads faster than two to three months, this is a sign you may need to change your brushing technique.”
It’s worth looking for an electric model with a pressure sensor, which will warn you when you’re pushing too hard.
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Resist the latest model
From a sustainability and consumption perspective, you’d ideally not buy a new model – no matter how shiny and wonderful the adverts make it look.
“The best thing we can all do is use what we have for as long as we can,” says Suri’s Safavi.
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… but know when (and how) to say ‘goodbye’
Eventually, all toothbrushes will die, and continuing to brush with them beyond their useful lifespan is bad for your teeth. If your manual brush’s bristles are splayed beyond recognition, or your electric brush’s battery will no longer hold a charge, then it’s time to dispose of it responsibly and move on.
Bamboo brushes are the easiest to recycle: remove the nylon bristles, and then compost the bamboo handle or find an alternative use for it (see below).
For plastic manual brushes, it’s worth seeing if the manufacturer has a recycling programme. If not, you can see if Terracycle has a collection point near you.
If there’s no local option bar landfill, you can always find alternative uses for brushes. Even splayed bristles can be effective at cleaning between bathroom tiles. While I was able to donate the electric toothbrush bodies from my group test, the heads were rightly considered unhygienic, so they have enjoyed a second life cleaning my cats’ grubby chins.
Some brands recycle brush heads free of charge, including Suri and Ordo, while LiveCoco, Brushd and Edinco sell recyclable heads for Oral-B and Philips Sonicare devices. But if companies won’t, “find an e-waste bin, if your council has one”, says Safavi, “and if not, there’s RecycleNow online”.
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Electric or manual toothbrushes – which last longer?
Whether you’re using an electric toothbrush or a manual one, bristles degrade at the same rate, with experts agreeing on a lifespan of three months for brushes used twice a day.
Of course, for electric toothbrushes, the heads can be replaced, giving them an advantage in the longevity stakes. That said, they’re not a clean win for sustainability as they rely on lithium-ion batteries. There are myriad environmental issues here, from the huge water use, land degradation and chemical leakage associated with the mining of Earth minerals, to hazards connected to the batteries’ disposal.
There are several more sustainable manual options – particularly those with a bamboo body – which promise a more environmentally friendly middle ground. However, as I covered in my guide to the best electric toothbrushes, experts agree that manual brushes aren’t generally as effective at teeth cleaning.
As Caitlin Miller, head of hygiene and therapy at Bupa Dental Care UK, put it to me at the time: “To get the same level of cleaning found with an electric toothbrush, you’d have to spend a lot longer than two minutes brushing with a manual.”
For more ideas to help your favourite items last longer:
• From beeswax to baby wipes: how to make your leather last a lifetime
• ‘Glass chopping boards should be illegal’: how to look after your kitchen knives
• From cloths to cleaning tablets: how to make your coffee machine last longer
