How Often Should You Replace Your Toothbrush?

Part of our guide: Choosing a Toothbrush and Toothpaste That Earn Their Keep

By the BasketLab team · updated 25 September 2026 · how we rank

Nobody remembers when they last changed their toothbrush. It's one of those quietly grim household facts, right up there with the true age of your pillows and the state of the tea towels. So here's the number worth committing to memory, along with the signs that mean you've already left it too long.

The short answer: every three months

Roughly every twelve to sixteen weeks. That's the guidance most dental bodies settle on, and for someone brushing twice a day it's about right. The reason is simple wear. Bristles gradually splay and soften with use, and a splayed brush cleans badly, skating over the gumline and the backs of the teeth where plaque likes to hide. A brush that looks tired is a brush that's already letting you down.

Three months is also just an easy thing to remember. Pick a marker, the start of each season works well, and swap on that. It saves you squinting at a brush trying to decide whether it's had it, because by the time you're squinting, the answer is usually yes.

The signs it's gone before then

Three months is a default, not a law. Plenty of things mean you should swap sooner, and the brush usually tells you if you bother to look.

• The bristles have splayed or bent outward, in which case it's finished regardless of the date
• You've just had a cold, flu or throat infection, since bristles can harbour the bacteria that made you ill
• The coloured indicator bristles on many Oral-B heads have faded towards white
• It's been dropped in the sink, or a housemate has borrowed it in a pinch, don't overthink it, just replace it
• It's a child's brush, they chew the bristles flat in half the time

Electric brushes: change the head, not the handle

If you use an electric, the same clock applies, but you only replace the head, not the whole unit. Heads for Oral-B and HANGSUN handles clip off and cost a fraction of a new brush, so there's no excuse to run one ragged for a year. The wear rules are identical: frayed or flattened bristles mean it's done.

The same goes for the smaller tools. Interdental brushes like TePe wear out too, and you should bin one the moment the wire starts to bend or the bristles thin right out.

A word from the dentist's chair

Two things worth flagging before your next check-up. If your brush is shredding within weeks, you're almost certainly pressing too hard, and that scrubs away enamel and gum, not just bristles. Ease off. A worn brush tells your dentist quite a lot, so don't be surprised if they mention it.

And don't mistake the extras for the main event. A rinse like Listerine or a nice toothpaste like Marvis is a finishing touch, not a replacement for a brush that's fit for purpose. If you have any doubt about your brushing or your gums, ask your dentist or hygienist. That's what the appointment is for.