How long should kids brush their teeth?
Two minutes twice a day is the answer, and getting a child to last that long is the hard part.
Quick answer
The NHS says to brush at least twice a day for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste, last thing at night and at least once more during the day. The AAP says usually after breakfast and before bed, with a grown-up supervising so the brushing lasts a full two minutes. Two minutes is long for a child, so use a timer or a song, and split the mouth into parts so the time reaches every surface.
Two minutes is easy to say and long to stand at a sink. A Bupa Dental Care survey of 1,000 UK parents and 1,000 children aged 3 to 10 was published in May 2026 (reported by Dentistry.co.uk). It found that 41% of the children brush for a minute or less. It also found that 56% admit fibbing about brushing, and 46% of parents worry their child isn't brushing well enough.
So if your child stops early, you have company.
Two minutes, twice a day
The NHS says to brush at least twice a day for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste. One of those is last thing at night, before bed, with at least one more during the day. The AAP also says twice a day, usually after breakfast and before bed, and adds that a grown-up should supervise so the brushing lasts a full two minutes.
When the time's up, spit out and don't rinse. The NHS (for children 3 and over) and the AAP both say rinsing washes the fluoride away.
If your child is under 3, the NHS says the parent does the brushing, and our guide for toddlers who refuse covers what to try when they fight it.
Why kids stop early
Nothing at the sink tells a child how much of the two minutes is left. The front teeth are the ones they can see and reach, so brushing those and calling it done is easy. Add being tired, wanting to get back to playing and nobody watching, and a minute or less is easy to reach.
The AAP's answer is to supervise, so a grown-up is there for the full two minutes. A parent in the doorway is a start, and it means you can see how long the brushing lasts. If the trouble is dread more than boredom, our guide to making brushing fun has games for the hard parts.
Five ways to time two minutes
Pick the one your child will stand still for, and expect to switch when it gets old.
| Way to time it | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Egg or sand timer | The NHS suggests an egg timer. A child can watch the time run down, and there's nothing to charge. | Easy to flip early, and some children watch it instead of brushing. |
| A favourite song | The AAP suggests brushing along to one. The child picks it, and it feels less like a countdown. | Few songs last exactly two minutes, so check once with a clock. |
| Phone timer | Already in your pocket and quick to set. | A phone at the sink pulls attention, and the child can't see the time going down. |
| An electric brush's own timer, if it has one | Built in, so there's nothing extra to set up. | Not every brush has one, and a simple timer says nothing about which parts got brushed. |
| A children's brushing app | The AAP lists these among its ideas for making brushing fun. An app can keep the time and give the child something to do. | Needs a phone or tablet at the sink, and it's worth checking that it covers the full two minutes. |
If a favourite song runs short, play it twice or make a short playlist.
Split the mouth into parts
Two minutes goes quicker as four half-minutes: top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right, each with the same share of time. Say the plan before the brush goes in. The halfway point makes a good checkpoint. If you start at the top, the top teeth should be done by one minute and the bottom ones come next.
A child who stops after the front teeth has a job that feels finished. Name the next part out loud, like "back teeth, top left", and there's a new job in front of them.
A children's brushing app is one way to hand the pacing over, since some take a child around the mouth part by part. It's on the AAP's list of ideas for making brushing fun too.
Germ Chase makes the two minutes and the trip around the mouth the game itself. A voice guides your child part by part, germs on a cartoon mouth pop as they brush the part it calls out, and the session ends on its own after two minutes.
Reaching every surface
A child can stand at the sink for two full minutes and spend most of them on the front teeth. Brushing well also means reaching every surface.
The ADA says to hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the gums and brush the outer, inner and chewing surfaces with short, tooth-wide strokes. The NHS adds small circular movements, with gentle brushing along the gums and behind the teeth. For each of your four parts, that comes to a short checklist.
- The outer surfaces, the ones you see when they smile.
- The inner surfaces, the ones that face the tongue.
- The chewing surfaces, the flat tops of the back teeth.
- The gums and behind the teeth, gently.
Two helpers from the NHS are a mirror, so your child can see where the brush is, and your hand over theirs, so they feel the movement. The ADA also says to use a soft brush and to replace it every 3 to 4 months or when the bristles fray.
When to talk to your dentist
Talk to your dentist if your child says brushing hurts or has a sore spot or bleeding gums. The same goes for spots, dark or discoloured teeth, a damaged tooth or an injury. And talk to them if your child can't tolerate brushing at all.
Questions parents ask
Is a minute enough?
The NHS and the AAP both say about two minutes, so that's the figure to aim for. If your child brushes for a minute or less now, that matches 41% of the children in the Bupa survey. Add one more part of the mouth until all four are covered.
When does the timer start?
When the brush is in the mouth. Time spent finding the toothpaste or chasing a child down the hall doesn't count toward the two minutes.
Does my child still need me there?
The NHS says that up to 3 the parent brushes. From 3 to 6 the child brushes while you supervise. From 7 they can brush on their own, with you watching that they brush properly for about 2 minutes. The AAP says most children need help until about age 8, and a rough sign is being able to tie their own shoelaces. Even then a grown-up still checks.
Sources
Germ Chase shares general information, not medical advice. For questions about your child's teeth, talk to your dentist.
