When it comes to basics in oral hygiene and maintenance, there is a simple rule of 2 which can be applied to the vast majority of the population.
How long do you need to brush your teeth for ? 2 minutes
How many times a day? 2 times
How many times a year should you see your dentist for a check up and clean? 2 times (once every 6 months).
If applied properly, and short of any unexpected accidents, the average patient will require minimal if any restorative work on their teeth during the course of their life.
Literature shows us that dental plaque forms almost as soon as food enters your mouth. Now for a window of about 24-36 hours, this film will be soft and easily removed with your toothbrush and floss. Left any longer than that it will start to calcify, meaning it will use the ‘good’ ions in your saliva (that teeth use to strengthen themselves), to harden and once this has happened, it has turned into tartar (calculus). Calculus cannot be removed by your toothbrush and requires a scale from your dentist. By brushing twice a day you give yourself 2 opportunities to remove all the plaque off your teeth before it becomes tartar.
2 minutes (or sometimes up to 3 ) is the ideal duration of a toothbrushing session, it enables you to spend 1 minute on the upper teeth and 1 minute on the lower. With proper technique you should be able to cover all teeth with sufficient time.
6 months in a year can pass very quickly, but if there’s an issue in your mouth, 6 months can be the difference between having a simple quick fix to requiring something like an extraction or root canal. Also tartar that is left on your teeth is a continual irritant that causes gingivitis (or in severe cases periodontitis), and needs to be removed in a timely manner to prevent irreversible gum and bone recession.