If you are one of those who seem to be bothered by the idea of having bacteria lodged on your toothbrush, you can try nature's very own tooth brush: Miswak aka Chewing Stick.

Miswak (Chewing Sticks) are twigs obtained from mainly the Arak Tree (Salvadora Persica) although a few other trees can also be used. They have been used since times immemorial for maintaining dental health where a toothbrush was much alien to them as the Miswak is to us today. The practice continues today and is widespread among the Muslims which can be traced to their religious beliefs. The Miswak is a common sight in the Middle East and constitutes a large part of oral health maintenance if not all for many people. The Miswak is not confined only to the Muslims and has been embraced by many cultures as an effective tool for dental health maintenance.

Now, what does this has to do with toothbrush sanitization? A lot infact! This is because Miswak has natural anti-microbial properties which mean there are no bacterial colonies thriving on the twig. Although, common perception of people might lead them to think otherwise, there is no harm done when using this natural wonder twig for dental health maintenance.

Infact, if reports are to be believed, it is more effective than your toothbrush! I have outlined these studies conducted on Miswak on my website. The studies especially stress Miswak's ability to fight against plaque and gum disease. One study carried out by Swedish researchers showed the Miswak's ability to kill bacteria without even being in contact with them. This fuelled the proposal by the researchers that Miswak was able to give off antibiotics in gas form which enabled it to kill the bacteria with out any physical contact.

We use advanced methods for toothbrush sanitization but never look towards nature for help. The market is flooded with advanced gizmos for toothbrush sanitization. Every other week, there is a new sanitization project launched which claims to kill up to 99.999% bacteria. Keeping in mind that there is no concrete evidence to suggest the need for toothbrush sanitization, splurging on a toothbrush sanitizer might not be a good idea after all especially when we have nature offering us a better solution.

Looking at a Miswak it is a simple brown twig with one of its ends cut off to expose the bristles. These bristles are more effective than your toothbrush's bristles when it comes to cleaning between teeth. This is because these bristles are parallel to the handle rather than perpendicular as in a conventional toothbrush. A Miswak is softened overnight in water the first time before use. Biting or chewing on the bristles releases a strong anti-microbial juice which not only eliminates bacteria in your mouth but also removes bad odor and creates a fragrance in the mouth.

Although Miswak is not readily available in the western world, they can easily be ordered via online services which deliver it to your doorstep. The price may seem diminutive for a thing which provides such immense benefits.