How long should you brush your teeth? It's a question we all ask ourselves and we all have different answers. Between recommendations from dentists, toothbrush manufacturers and what you were taught as a child, it's not easy to know the correct answer. So find out how long you should be brushing your teeth and how to brush your teeth effectively to preserve your oral health. Good dental hygiene is priceless.
Conventional practices about how to brush your teeth and tips on how long it takes
You probably know some of the following practices and tips that have been repeated for many years:
- Brush your teeth after every meal;
- Brush your teeth before going to bed;
- Brush for at least 2-3 minutes;
- Brushing twice a day is sufficient for the prevention of oral problems...
What is certain is that all these tips and practices have some truth to them. However, the most recent studies prove that they are by no means irrevocable truths.
The way you brush your teeth, the type of toothbrush you use and other factors are often more important than the time itself.
However, you can use a Y-Brush sonic toothbrush that brushes all the teeth and their sides at the same time in just 10 seconds for an effective result.
Time spent to brush your teeth depending on the toothbrush used
You've probably seen advertisements on TV or in magazines touting the speed and thoroughness of electric toothbrushes compared to traditional manual toothbrushes.
For manual toothbrushes :
Almost all recent studies agree that a manual toothbrush does not necessarily produce a worse result than other toothbrushes.
You can also achieve very good cleaning results with a normal manual toothbrush. Because, more important than the type of toothbrush, it is your brushing technique that will be important.
If you use a manual toothbrush, always keep the following tips in mind:
- Brush your teeth thoroughly several times a day;
- Replace the toothbrush regularly with a new one;
- Also clean the spaces between your teeth, for example with dental floss;
- Continue brushing until your teeth are really clean.
The minimum recommended brushing time is at least 2 minutes with a manual toothbrush.
However, it does not matter whether the final cleaning time is 2, 3 or 4 minutes. It is important that the teeth have been thoroughly cleaned of food deposits.
For electric toothbrushes :
The electric toothbrushes market is very large and full of different brushing techniques.
The differences between rotary toothbrushes, sonic toothbrushes and ultrasonic toothbrushes are often in the details, and almost all types offer optimal brushing.
All electric toothbrushes help you with brushing technique and relieve you of some of the circular movements that can be painful.
In addition, almost all electric toothbrushes have a built-in timer to help you manage your brushing time. For example, many electric toothbrushes give a signal after only 2 minutes. However, this does not necessarily mean that your teeth are clean.
When using an electric toothbrush, you should therefore follow these tips:
- Stop brushing when your teeth are clean, not when you hear a beep;
- Brush each tooth individually from red to white and without putting too much pressure on the gums;
- Also use dental floss or mouthwash to finish the cleaning.
It is particularly recommended to use the Y-Brush toothbrush because it allows to brush all the teeth and their faces at the same time. It also simplifies brushing by allowing simultaneous brushing thanks to the filaments that have the right inclination, which automates the action.
For oral irrigators :
Oral irrigators should generally just complement conventional dental cleaning and definitely not replace it, much like flossing.
- After brushing your teeth, you can use an oral irrigator to clear the interdental spaces of bacteria.
- This increases the total amount of time spent cleaning your teeth.
experience users need no more than 1-2 minutes of use for the entire dentition.
Brushing your teeth with a toothbrush is not enought
With a toothbrush alone, only 70% of plaque and bacteria are
removed.
Therefore, after "normal" brushing with a
toothbrush of your choice, you should clean the spaces between your teeth with
dental floss (or an interdental brush). In addition to the usual 2-3 minutes of
cleaning with a brush, you should therefore set aside time to clean the spaces
between your teeth.
You can also use a mouthwash. This removes more bacteria and
protects the teeth against new deposits. In addition, the mouthwash strengthens
your gums and thus prevents bleeding and receding gums.
However, brushing your teeth properly means using an
effective toothpaste first. Chewable toothpaste is recommended instead of
normal toothpaste because it makes brushing much easier and more effective. It is useful to brush your teeth with a toothbrush that can handle all sides. This is the case with the Y-Brush, whose bristles throughout the brush are perfectly angled.
To conclude
In addition to the time you should take to brush your teeth,
there are other important factors, some of which are more important than the
actual time it takes to brush your teeth. Thoroughness and good cleaning
technique is therefore more important than time itself.
