With an average duration of 43 seconds for brushing their teeth, the French are generally far from the 2 to 3 minutes recommended by dentists. 👩 ⚕️ You have surely seen or heard this number many times, especially since professionals in the medical-dental sector all agree to define it as the optimal duration of a good tooth brushing. And this, whether you use a manual or electric toothbrush ! ☝️
Nevertheless, there are a few brands of so-called “automatic” toothbrushes (but if, you know, the “U” or “Y” shaped ones) that offer products that can achieve the same toothbrushing in just 10 seconds. . 😱
The concept is attractive, we grant you that. However, a question arises. Is effective, thorough and complete tooth brushing really possible in 10 seconds, or is it just a pipe dream? 🤔
The MyVariations team has conducted its little investigation 🔍... We tell you everything in this article!
What is the optimal duration of toothbrushing?
We all agree on the fact that, to preserve your oral health and take care of your teeth, the basics are to brush them well daily, 2 to 3 times a day. Preferably after each meal, in order to remove all debris and food residue from all the interstices of your smile, and prevent the formation of dental plaque and tartar . 🪥
The dental plaque responsible for dental caries and other health concerns requiring a dozen hours to form, brushing in the middle of the day seems less important than those in the morning on waking and in the evening before bedtime. 😉
In addition, the French Union of Oral Health (UFSBD) recommends two brushings per day at the rate of 2 minutes per brushing. This duration makes it possible to divide his brushing of teeth into 4 parts, called “dials”. We start with the front of the lower teeth, then the back, and vice versa for the upper teeth. Each dial must be cleaned for a minimum of 30 seconds. ⏱
In reality, it is the duration of toothbrushing that gives it its effectiveness. Brushing for 43 seconds only removes about half of the newly formed dental plaque. In short, to carefully brush the entire surface of each tooth, it takes time. 🤷♀️
What is this famous “brushing in 10 seconds”?
Designed as mouthguards, the automatic “U” toothbrushes, supposed to offer 360° brushing, are equipped with nylon bristles or silicone bristles (depending on the model and brand) placed in a kind of gutter, all this connected to a small short handle equipped with an electronic system that vibrates the gutter. 🦷
These devices would thus make it possible to clean all the teeth simultaneously, reducing the total time for brushing teeth to 10 seconds. On paper, this is a very attractive time saver, but in practice, is it effective in removing dental plaque? 🧐
Is it really effective?
In practice, this type of system offers brushing that can be effective in places to remove dental plaque, but only in places. 🤕
Indeed, if the vibrations make it possible to remove the residues and the dental plaque located between the teeth rather well, the brushing remains incomplete, because the flat surfaces of the teeth as well as the interstices between the gums and these are not sufficiently targeted. 🎯 This concern comes from the shape of the gutter, which does not offer sufficient flexibility to really adapt to the morphology of users' mouths.
In addition, the duration of 10 seconds is by far not sufficient to provide brushing with the right method , in depth and to eliminate all the dental plaque on all the teeth, interstices included. 👄
In themselves, automatic toothbrushes offer a fun concept, and they can be used sporadically during the day, between meals, at work, in restaurants or when it is not possible to do a real brushing teeth in good shape. 💼 They can also be useful and constitute a possible alternative for people with disabilities, unable to achieve the vertical movement of a classic tooth brushing. We can also think of EPHADs and other nursing homes, in which there are not enough caregivers and do not always have enough time to take care of brushing the teeth of all patients. 🏥
However, their effectiveness is not good enough to be able to completely replace the use of manual or electric toothbrushes at the rate of 2 brushings per day for 2 minutes. 🙅♀️
In order to facilitate toothbrushing, dentists therefore do not recommend the use of 360° brushes alone, but rather recommend the use of electric toothbrushes, in particular those using sonic technology, effective and gentle on tooth enamel and the gums . 🕊
MyVariations sonic electric toothbrushes also offer a built-in 2-minute timer (with a small pause every 30 seconds) allowing you to respect the optimal duration of toothbrushing, while helping users to effectively divide the operation between the 4 dials of the mouth. 🤗
To sum up ...
Although the concept is appealing, automatic 360° “U” shaped toothbrushes are not entirely a replacement option for more traditional toothbrushes. Indeed, the factor that gives all its effectiveness to a good brushing of teeth is its duration, which must be at least 2 minutes. 10 seconds is not enough to remove plaque from every millimeter of the surface and interstices of our teeth. 😬
However, they can be used occasionally when complete brushing is not possible, and can be an alternative for the elderly or disabled. 👨🦽 Despite this, their use alone does not eliminate dental plaque effectively enough to replace the daily use of more conventional toothbrushes, in particular sonic electric brushes, which are much more efficient and recommended by dentists. 🩺
The answer to the question; “Is brushing teeth in 10 seconds possible?” therefore seems to be mixed, but more likely negative, and your dentist will confirm this. 😕 (At the same time, it seemed too good to be true 😢).
There you go, you know more about this subject! If you want to discover the other My Variations articles and impress your dentist with your knowledge, this is where it happens ☺️: https://myvariations.com/blogs/infos
