For the most part of my life I stored my toothbrush in the drawer right after I was done brushing my teeth. It wasn't until I was in the dental field when I learned the importance of allowing your toothbrush to completely air-dry before using it again.
Air-drying your toothbrush is an important practice to have, this can easily be done by placing your toothbrush in a toothbrush holder or on the counter right after you have thoroughly rinsed it with water, instead of storing in a drawer or cabinet where it probably wont dry before using it again.
If you don't allow your toothbrush to completely dry this will allow bacteria between all the bristles to grow and multiply. This is where you run the risk of reintroducing this bacteria and other germs into your mouth, halting or preventing your gums from fully healing. Luckily, most of the bacteria on your toothbrush will die when expose to oxygen, thus the importance of placing your toothbrush with the brush-head facing up on the toothbrush holder or counter so it can be exposed to the air.
If you're using your toothbrush more than twice a day [I'm so proud of you!] it's likely that your toothbrush never gets to completely dry. Therefore the bacteria on the brush-head never actually dies. In cases like this, I recommend that you brush with two different brushes and alternate them in between uses.
What I personally do is use my BURST sonic toothbrush in the morning and before going to bed and my nimbus toothbrush after lunch while at work. This allows my toothbrushes enough time in between uses to completely dry.
All of this also applies when packing your toothbrush to go on a trip, please allow your toothbrush to completely dry before you store it in your travel case and remember to replace your toothbrush every 3 months!
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