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.

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.

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

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

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.

Have you asked your dentist?

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.

Brush? Are you crazy! Plaque build up makes for a powerful bite. You'll need it to be at the top of the Zombie crowd.

i just go over my teeth twice with a manual brush.

Back in the day, it was recommended after every meal!