An example of good dental hygiene is brushing your teeth twice a day. Brushing your teeth for the recommended amount of time and using the correct technique will result in the best benefits. Unfortunately, a lot of people brush their teeth for less time than is recommended.
How long is the recommended duration for brushing teeth?
Brushing your teeth can help remove food debris trapped between your teeth. Food debris that is not properly cleaned can cause plaque buildup that can lead to bad breath, cavities, and other gum problems.
Health problems in the oral cavity should not be underestimated because, in cases of infection, microbes can spread to the oral cavity and airway. To prevent further tooth decay, it's best to follow dental hygienists' recommendations for brushing your teeth.
A study revealed that each person brushes their teeth for 45 seconds on average. According to Mouth Healthy, you should brush your teeth twice a day, after meals, in the morning and at night. The recommended brushing time is two minutes. Brushing your teeth too short or in a hurry makes brushing activities unable to clean teeth optimally. The study also revealed that people who brush for 120 seconds can remove 26% more plaque when compared to people who brush for 45 seconds.
Experts then recommend brushing for 2 minutes to remove more plaque and reduce the risk of breeding bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath. Since changing habits is difficult, you can train your children to brush for 2 minutes from an early age. As for those of you who have been brushing your teeth for less than 2 minutes, you should start slowly changing these habits.
How is the correct brushing technique?
Not only should you pay attention to how long you wash your teeth and how often you clean them, but the manner in which you brush them is just as important. Brushing with the right technique can help clean your teeth better and prevent bacteria from growing between your teeth.
According to Healthline, the American Dental Association, this is how to properly brush your teeth:
- Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums
- Brush with short strokes, approximately one tooth wide
- Move the toothbrush back and forth along the outer surface of the teeth and apply gentle pressure while brushing; do not scrub your teeth too hard.
- Use a back-and-forth motion to brush along the tooth surface
- To properly brush the inner surface of the teeth, hold the toothbrush vertically and brush up and down along the inside of the teeth.
- Brush your tongue in several back-to-front motions to remove bacteria that cause bad breath.
- Rinse toothbrush after brushing
To maintain oral hygiene, experts also recommend flossing and rinsing. Flossing and rinsing help clean areas that have been difficult to reach with a toothbrush. You can do both every day after brushing your teeth or after eating.
Regular brushing is the key to improving oral health. Brush your teeth gently at least twice every day, for two minutes each time. If you have any dental health problems, you can either visit a dentist or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.
Looking for more tips and information about other health conditions, first aid, and home remedies? Click here!
- dr. Alvidiani Agustina Damanik
Raypole, C. (2019). 5 Toothbrushing FAQs. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-should-you-brush-your-teeth
Mayo Clinic. When and How Often Should You Brush Your Teeth. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/brushing-your-teeth/faq-20058193
Cleveland Clinic. How Often Should You Brush Your Teeth?. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-often-to-brush-your-teeth/
Burshing Your Teeth. Available from: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/brushing-your-teeth/
