Tooth brushing is a thing every person who cares about their smile is sure to do, but did you know that millions of people around the world aren’t brushing their teeth properly? You might be one of them! Dentists recommend that you should brush your teeth for two to three minutes, twice a day. Though many of you reading this might already brush and floss on the regular, the leading cause of tooth decay is the build of plaque due to neglect. Some people just don’t have the attention span to brush the whole 3 minutes. If you think you could benefit from a bit of an improvement in your dental hygiene, check out these 8 fun and healthy ways to stay active while brushing your teeth.
1. Dance to your Favorite Song
Most popular songs these days last around... you guessed it, two to three minutes, which just happens the be the perfect amount of time to get the lead out and dance like nobody’s watching. Unless there is someone watching... in which case you could just nod your head, but don’t forget to brush!
2. Adopt a Bathroom Book
The average person reads 200 words per minute on paper or e-reader displays, and the industry standard for print is about 250 words per page. If you do the math, you can read about two and a half, let’s make it three, pages before you’re done brushing. That’s six pages a day, or approximately four novels a year. Need any other reasons why this is a good idea?
3. Surf the Web
Okay, so maybe you don’t have the Blade Runner bathroom mirror, but these days, who doesn’t have a smart phone or web enabled device on hand? 3 minutes is the perfect amount of time to check your social media or favorite website for any new developments, and before you know it brush time will be up! Just be careful not to get too distracted or you’ll end up late, or worse, late with toothpaste down the front of your shirt.
4. Learn Something New
Pick a new topic to learn about every day, and by the end of the week you’ll know all about film space shuttles... or dental hygiene... or California tax codes... or whatever you decide to learn about. Information is always at our fingertips these days, so why not make use of the 6 minutes of downtime you have every day? Need a place to start? Why not learn about how astronauts brush their teeth in space. (The video is three minutes long... hint hint!)
5. Become More Photogenic
What better use of your free time than practicing the ancient art of selfies? You have a mirror, so try out some funny new looks while you’re brushing those pearly whites. After all, if you can look good brushing your teeth, you can look good anywhere.
6. Build an Exercise Routine
Three minutes is the perfect amount of time for one session of many of the micro-workout regimens you can find online. You could spend 3 minutes twice a day staring at yourself in the mirror while you brush your teeth, or you could spend that same amount of time losing weight and building balance and strength in your lower body. Check out this video for a few two-minute teeth brushing exercises.
7. Take a Shower
There are two types of people in this world, those who have never brushed their teeth in the shower, and those who know the true meaning of the word “refreshment”. There is just nothing like the feeling you get when you’re squeaky clean from head to toe, teeth included. Try it in the shower tomorrow and shave valuable minutes off your morning routine!
8. Organize your “To-Do” List
This one’s a no brainer, I’m sure everyone organizes their To-Do list while they brush their teeth. You do have a To-Do list, right... No? Just me? Well then allow me to be the first to tell you that organizing the important things you need to do in a day into a short and simple list can really help you get things done. I’m not kidding either, try it next time you’re brushing your teeth and just watch how much you can get done in a day when you spend two or three minutes planning it out!
I’m sure you can think of at least a few more ways to stay active while brushing your teeth. Maybe you can start a dream journal and record all your dreams before you forget, or perhaps pick up writing Haikus. The sky is the limit, but don’t forget the most important part; brush your teeth for 2 – 3 minutes twice a day!
