For How Long and How Often Should I Brush My Teeth?

Brushing your teeth is one of the most important things you can do for your oral health but also for your overall health.  Brushing is something that should never be skipped.  Ideally, you should brush your teeth after each snack or meal in order to remove the sugar and other substances on your teeth but this is understandably difficult to do.  At a minimum, you need to brush at least two times per day, once in the morning and once at night before bed.   The American Dental Association recommends brushing at least twice per day. 


While a significant portion of the population does a good job of brushing their teeth two times a day, very few brush their teeth for long enough.  Brushing should take at least two minutes each time you brush your teeth and oftentimes longer.  The key is to brush long enough to clean your teeth and at least two minutes is a good marker.  Most of the time, this will enable you to remove the sticky, sugary substances that have accumulated on your teeth.  Unfortunately, most people see brushing as a task and tend to rush through it, doing a woefully inadequate job. 

To ensure you brush long enough, you could set a timer (our office has some two minute hourglass sand timers – feel free to stop by for a complimentary one) or brush your teeth while watching TV so you spend enough time on it. 

One thing to be wary of when brushing your teeth is that you do not want to brush too hard.  Brushing too hard can wear your teeth down or cause your gums to recede.  Brush with reasonable pressure and make sure you brush every tooth inside and out.

Additional things to remember:

  • Brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth;
  • Floss at least once a day (ideally before brushing) to get rid of the plaque in between your teeth where the toothbrush cannot get to; and
  • See your dentist for examinations and thorough cleanings regularly, usually once to twice per year.

Our Los Alamitos dentist Dr. Shanna Chirco is accepting new patients.  Call (562) 430-7310 today for an appointment.