Blue Indicator on Toothbrushes
November 11, 2014, by Debra Lynn Dadd
Question from Annette
Hi Debra,
I use the Oral B blue indicator toothbrush. Well I just did some research and found out that the blue indicator is a blue dye, Coomassie Brilliant Blue. Wouldn’t that be considered not healthy? Should I be looking for another toothbrush?
Debra’s Answer
Well, I looked up Coomassie Brilliant Blue dye and found out that it is not soluable in water, so it would pretty much stick to the material of the brush, which is probably nylon. But logically, I can’t imagine any way for the color to fade except for it to be released when the toothbrush is wet in your mouth.
I prefer using natural bristle toothbrushes myself. That way there is no question about dyes.
These are archives of Q&A asked by readers and answered by Debra Lynn Dadd (from 2005-2019) or Lisa Powers (from 2019-2020). Answers have been edited and updated as of December, 2020.