Brush Your Teeth for Two Minutes — You're Probably Doing Half That

Studies consistently show that most people brush for about forty-five seconds and think they've done two minutes. Use a timer or an electric toothbrush with a built-in one. Two minutes is the minimum needed to actually remove plaque effectively from all surfaces. Divide your mouth into four quadrants and spend thirty seconds on each. It sounds trivial, but dental problems are expensive, painful, and almost entirely preventable with proper daily brushing and flossing.