Brushing your teeth twice a day can reduce tooth decay and improve your dental health.

Brushing your teeth twice a day:

At least 2 minutes twice a day

Brush your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day. This will remove plaque from the surfaces of your teeth and minimise tartar build up. Brushing your teeth should include cleaning your tongue and gums too.

If you have a difficult time remembering to brush twice a day, put a reminder on your phone or calendar.

Make sure you clean your whole mouth. Brush the tops, sides and back of your teeth as well as your tongue and gums. Make sure your brush is new and clean. Don’t use a wire-brush as this can damage your teeth.

If you’re a child, be sure to brush their teeth too.

Brush your teeth first thing in the morning

Brush your teeth before you go to bed at night.

Why brush twice a day?

Brushing your teeth twice a day will reduce the risk of gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss.

Brushing your teeth twice a day can also:

• Help you avoid heart disease and stroke
• Reduce the risk of diabetes and gum disease
• Reduce the risk of cancer
• Reduce the risk of respiratory conditions such as asthma and emphysema
• Reduce the risk of arthritis
• Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia
• And…
• You’ll have healthier teeth.

Brushing twice a day can help improve your oral health by removing plaque, which can lead to cavities and gum disease.

Brushing twice a day may reduce your chances of getting:

• Missing teeth
• Gum disease
• Bad breath
• Toothaches

Why not brush 3 times a day?

If you brush your teeth 3 times a day you’re more likely to cover every area of your mouth. But brushing your teeth 3 times a day isn’t always easy. You could miss parts of your teeth if you brush too fast.

Try this instead:

Start by brushing your teeth once a day. Then if you find it easy, try brushing them twice a day.

If you feel it’s too hard to brush your teeth twice a day, then brush them just once a day.

Brush your teeth before you eat or drink

You can brush your teeth up to half an hour before you eat.

When you brush your teeth, you remove the bacteria that causes tooth decay and gum disease. You also can clean your teeth to remove debris that has built up over time.

When you brush your teeth before you eat or drink, you can remove the bacteria that causes tooth decay and gum disease.

How do I know if my teeth are clean?

Your teeth are always going to look different to everyone else’s. So there’s no way of telling whether they’re clean or not.