How to use the online timer
Two minutes is the length the NHS recommends, twice a day, and it is consistently longer than people manage unaided. Left to their own judgement, most brushers stop somewhere under a minute, convinced they have done the full two. That gap matters, because the surfaces that get missed are the ones nobody thinks about: the inner faces of the lower front teeth, the back molars, and the gum line where plaque actually accumulates.
Splitting the time into four thirty-second quarters, upper right, upper left, lower left, lower right, is the simplest way to spread the attention evenly instead of spending the whole two minutes on the front teeth that are visible in the mirror. Angle the brush towards the gum line and use small movements rather than long, hard scrubbing, which wears enamel and irritates gums without cleaning better.
For children the countdown does the nagging, which is worth a great deal at half past seven in the morning. Spitting rather than rinsing at the end leaves the fluoride from the toothpaste on the teeth instead of washing it straight down the sink, and brushing before bed matters more than any other time of day, since saliva production drops overnight and whatever is left on the teeth stays there.
Common questions
Why two minutes specifically?
It is the length the NHS recommends, twice a day, and it is consistently longer than people manage unaided. Most brushers stop under a minute while believing they have done the full two.
Should I rinse afterwards?
Spitting rather than rinsing leaves the fluoride from the toothpaste on the teeth instead of washing it down the sink. Brushing before bed matters most, since saliva production drops overnight.
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