Get a new toothbrush after the flu

By now you know the best way to get over the flu is to stay home and get plenty of rest.

But there's one thing you may be forgetting.

Every time you brush your teeth, you should disinfect your toothbrush. Dr. Brooks Woodward, the dental director at Chase Brexton Health Services says dipping your toothbrush in mouthwash for at least a minute will help kill germs.

And when you get better from the flu, you should throw out the old toothbrush and get a new one.

Dr. Woodward says, "The flu virus can live on objects for up to 6 hours. But if you imagine an object that's wet and has saliva on it, it could probably live there even longer. And you're just going to keep on putting something like that back into your mouth, it's going to inhibit you from getting a little bit better, your brushing your tongue with it, you're brushing your teeth, your gums, it's going to have a lot of germs on it."

Dr. Woodward says everyone should change their toothbrush every 3 to 6 months or when the bristles start to bend.