Daily Mail

You don't need toothpaste, put your brush in the dishwasher and, yes, electric is best! The jaw-dropping truth about YOUR toothbrush.

• 25% of adults don’t brush their teeth twice daily, say the Oral Health Foundation
• Unsurprisingly, nearly three quarters of us have visible plaque in our mouths
• Gum disease has also been linked to health problems, including heart disease 

Two minutes, twice a day — it’s a simple message that’s drummed into us from an early age. But the latest figures suggest many of us still don’t brush properly and our teeth and gums are suffering serious damage as a result.

One in four adults admits they don’t brush their teeth twice a day, according to the charity the Oral Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, nearly 70 per cent of us have visible plaque — a build-up of bacteria and debris which is a chief cause of tooth decay.

And even if you do try to look after your teeth, how should you do it and what should you use? Last week Swiss researchers who analysed the effectiveness of certain toothpastes found some no more effective than saliva when it comes to preventing dental erosion. 

This is when the tooth’s outer hard enamel coating is lost, exposing the dentine, which contains nerves, and leads to tooth sensitivity and pain........