Did you know dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every three months?
It’s not because the bristles wear out. Alas.
It’s because the average toothbrush contains more than 10 million bacteria, often including E. coli and staph.
Ew.
Hint: Flush your toilet with the lid down to reduce airborne bacteria that can collect on your toothbrush and other bathroom surfaces.
Another proactive thing you can do is check out the dental-care subscription service from Boka, a new Minneapolis company working to keep families on schedule — and chemical free — when it comes to oral care.
When you sign up for Boka, you don’t have to remember when to replace your brushes, they’ll just come in the mail, along with add-ons such as floss wrapped in natural beeswax (rather than the traditional Teflon or petroleum) and Boka’s minty toothpaste made with essential oils (but without sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, parabens, fluoride or artificial flavors). (Boka argues that fluoride isn’t as effective in over-the-counter toothpastes as we’ve been led to believe.)
Best of all, Boka’s toothbrushes are designed to fight bacteria because they’re made with Japanese Binchotan activated charcoal, which naturally inhibits the growth of nasty microorganisms.
Eric Frost of Kenwood and Amanda Zweerink of Richfield — both parents and both employees of the Minneapolis marketing firm Zeus Jones — co-founded Boka with James Hagen of Minneapolis, who runs American Dental Accessories, an e-commerce site for dentists.
Hagen hopes Boka will inspire families to improve their oral health, which has been closely tied to overall health.
“One of our customers claims that their Boka box got their daughter excited about dentistry for the first time in her life,” he said, adding that kids enjoy the “unboxing” experience, making each arrival seem more like a gift than a toiletries restock.
We signed up for the service for a year of brushes (eight) for a family of two. We love the Boka brushes’ bristles, which are soft but tapered at their tips to be effective on plaque.
Learn more at loveyourboka.com.
