Asklemmy

i find it inconvenient to do that every day, so i brush once a month for 2 hours.

I think it's an average estimate, not a hard rule.

The exact time doesn't matter, but it's an approximate reference for how long you could aim for

• some people don't brush enough
• some people brush too much (harms enamel and damages gums)

My electric toothbrush does 30 seconds per quadrant, 2 minutes total. I'm 38 have zero cavities and my teeth are fine. I only brush once a day.

The whole point is to not leave starches/sugars in places long enough for a biofilm of plaque to form.

The problem is, teeth are poorly shaped to clean and the interface of the gums is down right hard to get to.

So what they're trying to do is to get you to clean often enough that you manage to get some of the hard to get areas covered but not so often that you're sanding the enamel of your teeth.

Because it should take you about 2 minutes to brush your teeth.

If you're actually brushing for 6 minutes straight, you're overdoing it and damaging your enamel and gums.

Brush gently, floss thoroughly.

Brushing for longer has diminishing returns and hurts your gums. I'm just speculating, but it's mostly about removing debris from your mouth and applying flouride to your teeth.

My electric toothbrush works in four 30-second increments. Each 30 seconds is plenty of time for me to cover a quadrant. I slowly go over the outside, inside, top/bottom, gums in each quadrant. Maybe if I was meticulously brushing each tooth one by one, I could see the issue, but that's not necessary, is it?

So I've had something like 25-30 cavities filled in my life. I haven't had a single cavity in 10 years, though. I brush only once a day, and floss. The trick is flouride rinse afterwards. That's the secret.

I'm also like you with my timing but most people I know say I take ages with my teeth. Apparently most people are done with their brushing in less than one minute. Therefore, dentists recommend spending at least two or three. I don't think you need to brush for less time than what you already are.

Buy high fluorine toothpaste and put a TINY (I mean, miniscule amount) on your toothbrush. There should be only a few speckles of the stuff on there. Then brush just enough to ensure each and every nook and cranny is covered in the stuff, rinse and spit. If the next time you go to brush you still taste the toothpaste, you put on too much and therefore don't need to reapply it. Just put on a little less next time.

Never had a cavity since I started doing that, and I'm not even a 1/16th through the tube. Best money I ever spent.

::: spoiler EDIT: A few other dental tricks that will help dramatically:

1. You don't need to brush twice a day, once is plenty and preferably before bed
2. Don't brush right after eating/drinking especially if it was acidic, that tears your enamel apart
3. Use only a pea-sized blob of toothpaste, if you use it like they show you in the commercials, you're an idiot
4. The primary goal of brushing is to apply fluoride, the secondary goal is to get shit out of your gums
5. Tooth whitening is a scam designed to poke at your insecurities. If you buy into it, you're an idiot
6. Dr. Fortnite says floss every night. Use a water flosser or pay attention to how your dentist flosses as their technique is immaculate
7. All floss is blood-flavored, do not try to push back against this universal truth for it is absolute
8. There is no sensation more elating than your dentist actually being impressed at your dental health
9. Some toothpastes and flosses cause cancer, research which ones and stay away from them
10. A Colgate tee shirt looks almost exactly like a supreme one and costs a fraction of the price

You are harming your teeth if you brush them that much, that’s why. Overbrushing is just as bad as brushing too little.

Have you asked your dentist?

I think it’s a game of diminishing returns.

Let’s say 6 minutes gives you perfect 100% cleaning.

Well 30 seconds probably already gets you 50% or more of the total benefit just by getting fluoride on your teeth and rinsing your mouth a bit so getting people to 3 minutes is probably approaching perfection anyway and if you start asking people to do 6 minutes then they’ll say fuck it I won’t bother at all so settle for the 80% win.

I assume.

That’s how much time it takes for the fluoride to take effect?

There are two things with brushing your teeth: first, the mechanical action of the brush and the microparticuls in the toothpaste will clean the tooth. Second, the fluorine in the toothpaste will consolidate the enamel of the tooth, but it needs a bit of time to be absorbed.

This is why it's important to use real toothpaste and not the natural shit you can do yourself at home.

So 2-3min is the right time to brush the tooth and allow the fluorine to be absorbed. Some dentists will also tell you to not rinse the mouth, only spit the saliva and paste, I imagine so that fluorine has more time to work.

Surely part of your 6 minutes is flossing and mouthwash though.

I systematically clean each surface but my electric toothbrush has an automatic timer that buzzes at the 2 min mark and its surprising how close it is. I normally only have one or two teeth to go.