Brushing your teeth with a light tough for two minutes
Researchers studied the brushing techniques and times of 12 volunteers who used electric toothbrushes during a four-week study. The participants were taught how to use the oscillating toothbrush, which was hooked up to a computer that took time and pressure measurements. Researchers compared 16 combinations of various brushing times and pressures. Plaque levels on the teeth were also recorded before and after brushing.
They found that plaque removal improved with longer brushing time up to two minutes and with greater pressure up to 150 grams of pressure, which is about the weight of an orange.
“Although we found that you have to brush your teeth reasonably long and hard to get rid of the harmful plaque which causes dental diseases, our research shows that once you go beyond a certain point, you aren’t being any more effective,” says Heaseman, in a news release. “You could be actually harming your teeth and gums.”