In my previous blog, I discussed head size and bristle stiffness of toothbrushes. Toothbrushes can come in a variety of shapes. It can be helpful to have the type that has rounded bristles. Most bristles are made of nylon so they don’t soften when they gets wet like the natural bristles do. Mom always told us to go into the bathroom and scrub our teeth real hard and thorough. Brushing thoroughly is important. Brushing hard was fine for the old days when the natural bristles would soften in saliva, but since the nylon bristles don’t soften, we must be very judicious in the amount of pressure that we use. Only the tips of the bristles do the cleaning work, so a toothbrush whose bristles are all bent and frayed is ready for the trash can or the household cleaning bucket. Another important aspect of choosing a toothbrush is to look for the American Dental Association seal of approval. The ADA puts dental products through stringent, independent testing to make sure that a manufacturer’s claims are valid. This way, you can be sure that whatever it says on the packaging has been verified and is safe for you and your family to use.