What does it mean when a tampon disintegrates?

Tampons are made of cotton. When you put cotton in water, it will eventually disintegrate. If the tampon disintegrates, its fibers are breaking down due to the exposure to liquid. It usually takes a while for this to happen. It is not a big deal. If the tampon disintegrates, it was just used for a little too long and got too wet. It is supposed to disintegrate when you are finished with it anyway. so just change the tampons more often and they won't disintegrate so much until you dispose of them. Don't worry. Just throw it away (or flush it if your toilet can handle tampons), and use a fresh one, maybe every 4 -6 hours, depending on your flow.