how long do you brush your teeth?

[quiggle]

hello, I just wanted to get an idea from the community on how long it's recommended that you brush your teeth with braces on. I have a friend who recently had braces put on and his orthodontist recommended to brush them 4 minutes, is that too long? thank you!

[Harriet]

I spend between 2 and 3 minutes with an electric brush and then another minute or so with my proxabrush. I dont think there is a set time because different mouths need different amounts of time, before my teeth straightened considerably I would spend additional time making sure my crowded lower teeth were clean because they can easily get plaque build up.

[kbenz]

My ortho recommended to brush for 2 minutes.

[TwistedShelby]

Oh my, I brush mine for about 10 minutes!!! I have an electric brush which buzzes every 30 seconds, so I do small sections at a time, then move onto a small interdental brush and do inbetween again for maybe 4 minutes. I am totally obsessed, mind you some of the things that fall out of my teeth makes me that way!

[Webtheman]

I only brush for two minutes. I know because my toothbrush has a timer on it. My entire routine takes about six or seven minutes though. First, I use a pipe cleaner type thing to clean between my teeth. Then I use my waterpik to get all the junk out from under my braces and power chains. Then I swish Closys around for about a minute then brush with regular crest. After that, I swish original listerine around for about a minute and a half. Finally, I finish up with Act anti-cavity. It gets monotonous but my teeth have never felt better. Along with my brushing routine, I eat eight to ten grams of xylitol per day; that keeps the plaque away!

[DorkieDiva]

My ortho recommends at least 2 minutes on top and 2 minutes on bottom. She even gives out a little hourglass timer that is 2 minutes.

[Lamis]

I have a sonic brush and it turns off after 2 min! It is worth the money my teeth feel so clean!

[belistic10]

i think a good few minutes lol i only have a manual brush but going to get a good electric brush as soon as i can

[zcenteno]

i heard twas suppose to be 2 min max. my braces cleaning kit has a 2 min hourglass with it. have no idea why two min. flossing takes alot of time,hate it.

[RedQueen]

I know that we're SUPPOSE to brush at least 2 minutes maximum. But I take an extra step, I spend approximately 12 minutes with my Sonicare each time I brush. I know that this might be too much, but I think it's worth it at the end.
In my opinion, I notice that teeth started to discolor easier with braces on for some reason and sometimes you get food stuck in between your brackets and wire and that can cause the unwanted smell, not cute at all. That's why I don't want to take chance because people to focus more on your mouth when you have braces and I don't want them to look at yellow teeth :(

However, all you really need is 2 solid minutes of brushing, but keep in mind though, you have stuff in between teeth which make it harder to clean than without them.

[jamsmak04]

I have the oral b with the lcd thingy that tells you if your brushing too hard and has a timer. My ortho said 2 minutes during the day and good 4 mins right before bed. I was really religious at the beginning of treatment now I just do as he says, I used to brush 20 times a day and it was consuming my life lol. Now I brush 4 times during the day and then once at night.

[motoperpetuo]

I brush for 2 minutes. The electric toothbrushes make it easy :)

[bellalla]

I would definitely brush for 4 minutes.

Without braces, brushing should be at least 2 minutes, with braces it would take at least twice as long to brush properly if you're brushing underneath the wire with a proxabrush or ortho tip on an electric brush

[klobird]

This is my routine at night:

1. Waterpik
2. Floss (The part I really dislike because it takes so long!)
3. Proxabrush
4. Brush--for 2+ minutes--I have a 2 minute timer on both my Oral B and Sonicare, but I start thinking about work or something and just keep going and going and going!! .
5. Mouthwash (Act Flouride)
6. Put on elastics
7. Wax, if needed (which is a lot right now because I have 2 heavy elastics on one side--one on top of the other, and they snap--wax keeps them from snapping. I only have one heavy elastic on the other side.)

And on Wednesday, I use Provident mouthwash--prescription from dentist to keep the cavities away!

In the morning, and a couple of times at work after I eat (I ALWAYS clean and brush after I eat--no matter what it is..)--
I pik (Stim-U-Dent),rinse,brush,mouthwash,elastics,wax...

I will be glad when the braces are off and it's easier....my dental hygiene has never been better though...

[angeldazed]

I brush for a minimum of three minutes in the morning and night. In between I brush to get rid of debris.