I'd argue about the recommended use of dental floss - my dentist refers to it as 'cheese cutter wire' claiming it commonly causes cuts in gums between teeth. I've certainly experienced that myself.

It should take you 4 minutes of brushing with toothpaste if you have all your teeth still, then that needs to be followed up with the small, inter dental brushes in between the teeth, at the gum margin both sides of each tooth, where there are gaps. These come in different sizes, but younger people (below, say, 40) often find even the smallest one is too large for the gaps, so they have to stick to dental floss, despite the dangers. It's quite surprising, after a good brushing, to discover small particles of food still being removed by the interdens brushes... follow up with mouthwash if you must, though its not essential, but preferably an alcohol free one. Check also that the mouthwash you choose can be used directly after toothpaste or whether you need to wait a while - products like Corsodyl neutralise the good effects of toothpaste, and toothpaste neutralises Corsodyl, if used within half an hour of brushing.

In terms of time management, doing what I've described properly before bed is best -if you can't manage this any other time of day, it'll be okay, so long as you reserve that 10 minutes at bed time for this routine. Bloomin' tedious though...I tend to take the tablet into the bathroom and watch something while I'm doing this procedure, or I'm likely to become impatient and take shortcuts...

I'd argue about the recommended use of dental floss - my dentist refers to it as 'cheese cutter wire' claiming it commonly causes cuts in gums between teeth. I've certainly experienced that myself.

It should take you 4 minutes of brushing with toothpaste if you have all your teeth still, then that needs to be followed up with the small, inter dental brushes (Tepe is the best known make) in between the teeth, at the gum margin both sides of each tooth, where there are gaps. These come in different sizes, but younger people (below, say, 40) often find even the smallest one is too large for the gaps, so they have to stick to dental floss, despite the dangers. It's quite surprising, after a good brushing, to discover small particles of food still being removed by the interdental brushes... follow up with mouthwash if you must, though its not essential, but preferably an alcohol free one. Check also that the mouthwash you choose can be used directly after toothpaste or whether you need to wait a while - products like Corsodyl neutralise the good effects of toothpaste, and toothpaste neutralises Corsodyl, if used within half an hour of brushing. Note that consistent use of strong mouthwash can cause an imbalance of flora within the mouth, causing possible fungal and other infections to occur.

In terms of time management, doing what I've described properly before bed is best -if you can't manage this any other time of day, it'll be okay, so long as you reserve that 10 minutes at bed time for this routine. Bloomin' tedious though...I tend to take the tablet into the bathroom and watch something while I'm doing this procedure, or I'm likely to become impatient and take shortcuts...