Two minutes is longer than you think
Most of us brush for about forty seconds. A few small changes get you to two minutes without a timer.
A 1 minute read, from the team at Myrtia
When we ask people how long they brush for, the answer is almost always two minutes. When we time them in the chair, it is closer to forty-five seconds. Nobody is lying; two minutes simply feels much longer than it is.
Why two minutes
Fluoride toothpaste needs time on the teeth to do its work, and the plaque on the inside surfaces, the ones you cannot see, takes the longest to reach. Short brushing usually means clean fronts and neglected backs.
Getting there without a timer
- Split the mouth into four quarters and give each one the length of a slow breath in and out, four times.
- Start somewhere different each day, so it is not always the same quarter that gets rushed.
- Brush the insides first. They are the ones people skip.
After brushing, spit, do not rinse. The toothpaste left behind keeps working.
If your gums bleed when you brush, that is a reason to brush them more gently, not less. Katerina can show you how at your next clean, with a brush she will let you keep.