Toothbrush Time

Community Contributed

By Boki Chung

Soft is better than hard… and yes, I’m talking about toothbrushes. The Molokai Community Health Center is hosting a toothbrush exchange on Saturday, Nov. 20 from 8 – 10 a.m. outside Friendly Market Center. Come down and trade in your nasty old toothbrush for a free new one, plus some other goodies.

A voucher for a free cleaning and check-up will be given to the person who trades in their nastiest toothbrush.

Some tips about toothbrushes:
•    Your toothbrush should be soft: hard toothbrushes damage your gums, wear away your teeth and can cause sensitivity.
•    Your toothbrush shouldn’t be too big!  You need to be able to clean all surfaces of your teeth and around all the bends of your arch – choose a size which covers about two of your teeth.
•    Replace your toothbrush every four months, or when it starts looking like junk.  If it looks nasty sooner than that, you’re brushing too hard.

Why should we clean our teeth and mouth anyways?
•    Gum disease is a major risk factor for the development of serious health conditions, like heart disease and diabetes.
•    Dirty teeth look ugly!
•    Most importantly, no one likes stinky breath.