How Can I Remember to Brush My Teeth? Here are 24 Ways that Actually Work
Brushing your teeth is one of the most important habits to establish in your daily routine. Regular tooth brushing is about more than just keeping a clean, healthy smile. Brushing your teeth also plays a significant role in your overall health. However, this small task can sometimes seem overwhelming at the end of a long day or when you’re rushing out the door to get to work in the morning.
Today, we are going to talk about effective ways to remember to brush your teeth. By using one or several of these ideas, you will easily be able to form a healthy habit of daily brushing. Your teeth and gums will thank you. (And the people close to you will notice a difference as well.)
Here are 24 Ways to Remember to Brush Your Teeth:
- Keep Your Toothbrush in Sight
- Understand the Reasons to Brush
- Add it to Your To-Do List
- Brush in the Shower
- Just Brush
- Put Your Toothbrush on Your Pillow
- Set an Alarm in the Bathroom
- Use a Habit Tracker
- Acknowledge it as Self Care
- Look at Pictures
- Set a Reminder
- Learn Proper Technique
- Get a Brushing Buddy
- Ask for Help
- Write a Note
- Develop a Daily Routine
- Attach it to a Developed Habit
- Leave Your Pillow in the Bathroom
- Invest in a New Toothbrush
- Think About Tooth Decay
- Brush Early
- Get Toothpaste You Like
- Create a Rewards Chart
- Listen to a Song
The American Dental Association states that it is important to brush your teeth twice a day. To receive the maximum benefits from brushing, it is recommended to brush for two minutes each time. Practicing proper brushing habits and techniques will greatly reduce the possibility of tooth decay, gum disease, and a wide variety of other significant health issues. Failure to brush your teeth has also been linked to the potential development of oral concerns and even heart disease.
1. Keep Your Toothbrush in Sight
Out of sight, out of mind. This is the most common reasons that people forget to brush their teeth each day! In order to remember to brush your teeth, keep your toothbrush in plain sight. There are many decorative toothbrush holders that can add a nice touch to any bathroom countertop. If you can easily see your toothbrush, you are much more likely to remember to brush.
2. Understand the Reasons to Brush
Failing to brush your teeth can lead to a slew of health problems that can affect both your oral and overall health. Do some quick research on the things that can happen as a result of failing to brush. Seeing a picture of decaying teeth or oral concern may be all you need to develop healthy oral care habits. It may also be helpful to consider the financial impact of pricey dental procedures that come as a result of these oral health problems
3. Add it to Your To-Do List
Adding brushing your teeth to your to-do list may seem like overkill. However, if you are having trouble remembering to brush your teeth, this may be a helpful step! If you are motivated by lists, adding two spots to your daily checklist for brushing your teeth in the morning and night may encourage you to brush regularly.
4. Brush in the Shower
Most people have no problem remembering to shower each day. Because of this, many people keep both their toothbrush and toothpaste in the shower! Although this may seem strange, brushing your teeth can become an easy part of your daily shower routine. Just be sure to store your toothbrush away from the area that shampoo or body soap would touch it. You can even purchase a toothbrush holder that can suction to your shower wall for easy storage.
5. Just Brush
While dentists recommend brushing your teeth once in the morning and once in the evening, brushing at strange times is better than not brushing at all. If you are just trying to develop brushing habits, brush whenever you remember to do so. Whether it is at 3 AM or 5 PM brushing your teeth can be beneficial at any time during the day.
6. Put Your Toothbrush on Your Pillow
Now, this may seem strange, but it has been helpful to many people who are trying to develop healthy brushing habits. Store your toothbrush on your pillow until you develop a strict habit of brushing. Once you are done brushing, return the toothbrush to your pillowtop until the evening. This can be a beneficial visual reminder that requires you to move your toothbrush before going to sleep.
7. Set an Alarm in the Bathroom
Setting an alarm can be one of the best ways to remember to brush your teeth twice each day. Although many of us are able to set an alarm on our cell phones, it may be beneficial to purchase a separate alarm clock to keep on the bathroom countertop. By doing so, you will force yourself to walk into the bathroom to turn off the alarm, creating the perfect opportunity to brush your teeth.
8. Use a Habit Tracker
Using an online habit tracker or habit tracking app can be motivating to some people. Having a reminder and a box to check off after you brush is a great way to develop healthy habits. Make a game of it by seeing how many days you can go without forgetting to brush your teeth!
9. Acknowledge it as Self Care
It may not seem like it, but brushing your teeth is part of self care! Taking care of your smile and teeth is beneficial to your overall appearance which plays a part in your confidence! Tell yourself that you are worthy of spending 4 minutes each day to take care of your body in this way.
10. Look at Pictures
If you are a visual person, looking at a picture can be motivating. Print a picture of a beautiful clean smile to tape to your bathroom mirror. Having a goal to work towards will encourage you to take the time necessary to brush and floss your teeth daily.
11. Set a Reminder
One of the easiest ways to develop a habit of brushing your teeth is to set a reminder on your cell phone. Many of us carry our cell phones with us at all times. Because of this, a cell phone reminder is something that will be present when you need to be reminded. Just be sure to follow through with brushing once you disable the reminder on your phone instead of simply turning it off and failing to brush.
12. Learn Proper Technique
Sometimes, the only thing standing between you and healthy oral care habits is using proper brushing technique! Learning how to properly brush your teeth can encourage you to take care of them as you should. Ask your dentist or dental hygienist for some tips during your next dental cleaning.
13. Get a Brushing Buddy
Accountability is always helpful when you are establishing new habits! If you live with someone, whether that be a spouse, child, or roommate, ask them to be your brushing buddy! Brushing at the same time as someone else can be motivating. If two people are working towards the same goal, they are more likely to succeed.
14. Ask for Help
Don’t be ashamed to ask for help! Brushing your teeth is a crucial part of staying healthy. If you are having a hard time remembering to brush your teeth each day, ask someone to help you remember. Having a friend or loved one gently remind you to brush twice each day can be very helpful in the process of establishing brushing habits.
15. Write a Note
Writing a note to yourself is a great way to remember to brush your teeth! The easiest place to place a reminder note is on your bathroom mirror. However, if you are struggling to remember, place notes wherever you need them! Whether it be on the TV remote, on the dresser, or on your bedside table, a note can be a great visual reminder that it’s time to brush.
16. Develop a Daily Routine
Healthy brushing habits are part of a daily routine. If you don’t have a daily routine, develop a new one! If you currently have a routine, find a way to easily incorporate brushing your teeth into what you already do each morning and evening.
17. Attach it to a Developed Habit
What is something you do each morning and evening? Do you wash your face? Maybe you open and then close your window blinds? Find a habit that you already have and simply attach brushing your teeth to that developed habit. It will be easier to remember to brush your teeth when it comes directly after something that you consistently do already.
18. Leave Your Pillow in the Bathroom
This may be the strangest way to remember to brush your teeth yet. If you are having a hard time remembering to brush your teeth, you may need to take drastic measures. Try leaving your pillow right outside the bathroom door. This way, you will need to get your pillow before you go to sleep each night and you will conveniently find yourself near your toothbrush and toothpaste.
hum by Colgate Smart Electric Toothbrush
19. Invest in a New Toothbrush
Getting a new gadget can cause you to have a renewed interest in something. If you can’t remember to brush your teeth twice each day, try investing in a new toothbrush! Electric toothbrushes are now reasonably priced and come with fancy settings that make brushing fun. You will be so excited to use it, you may never forget to brush again! Once the initial excitement wears off, you will have already developed a healthy brushing routine.
20. Think About Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is one of the worst side effects of failing to brush your teeth. When you are tempted to not brush at some point, envision yourself with decaying teeth. This thought should be enough to scare you right into the bathroom to grab your toothbrush.
21. Brush Early
Although the best time to brush at nighttime is right before you sleep, brushing early is better than not brushing at all. Many people fail to brush their teeth because they wait until they are exhausted to get ready for bed. By brushing your teeth earlier in the evening, you will avoid this dilemma. As a bonus, brushing your teeth early in the evening will also help you stay away from unhealthy late-night snacking.
22. Get Toothpaste You Like
Finding a toothpaste you like the taste of is part of the battle of maintaining healthy brushing habits. There are many brands and flavors of toothpaste available. Because of this luxury, you should have no trouble finding one that you really like! Many stores offer small travel-sized tubes of toothpaste which are an excellent way to taste several varieties without wasting full-sized tubes.
23. Create a Rewards Chart
A rewards chart may seem childish, but it may be just the thing to motivate you towards healthy oral care habits! Create a simple rewards chart to keep in the bathroom. Each time you brush, reward yourself with a sticker or checkmark. Once you reach your goal of 30, 60, or 90 days, reward yourself with a small treat! When you are tired at the end of each night, think of that reward and find the motivation you need.
24. Listen to a Song
Many people suggest listening to a song to make sure you are brushing long enough each time. However, it can also be a great motivation to brushing your teeth at all! Find a song that you love and only listen to it while you are brushing each day. Bonus points if the song is two minutes long! Time always seems to pass more quickly while you are listening to a song that you love.
As you can see, there are many ways to develop a healthy oral care routine. Making a habit of brushing twice each day is highly beneficial to both your oral and overall health. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy will, in turn, lessen your risk of oral concerns, heart disease, and other types of health concerns. In addition to brushing twice a day, it is also important to floss daily and schedule routine visits with your local dentist.
A healthy smile will instill great confidence and allow you to face the world and whatever it throws your way. Don’t underestimate the power behind something as small as spending four minutes each day with your toothpaste and toothbrush.
Click here to learn more about the proper brushing technique.
