With more than one in five Brits (22%) admitting they don’t clean their teeth properly*, leading oral care brand TePe has revealed the simple three-minute dental hack the nation should adopt to avoid bad breath, cavities and gum disease this World Oral Health Day (March 20th 2026).
Miranda Pascucci, Head of Clinical Education and Dental Therapist at TePe, recommends adopting a daily three-minute clean routine – two minutes of brushing plus one minute of cleaning between the teeth with floss or a TePe Interdental Brush.
The World Oral Health Day 2026 theme, “A Happy Mouth is a Happy Life,” emphasises that good oral health is fundamental to overall health, confidence, and quality of life.
As Miranda explains: “Good oral health allows people to eat with ease, communicate clearly, smile confidently, and live without pain or self-consciousness.
“World Oral Health Day is an important reminder that prevention of oral health problems starts with daily habits, and preventive care at home remains a great tool for improving long term oral health.
“If you brush your teeth with a toothbrush alone, you’re only cleaning about 60% of your tooth surfaces – the rest is hiding where your toothbrush can’t reach – between your teeth where food and plaque accumulate.
“Plaque build-up doesn’t just affect your teeth and gums, it can also impact how comfortable and confident you feel about your smile. The bacteria and inflammation it causes can lead to symptoms such as tooth decay and gum disease, so keeping your mouth clean and healthy not only lowers these risks but also helps you feel more confident in your smile and overall wellbeing.
To support people in building effective oral care routines, TePe offers a wide range of products designed to clean between teeth and along the gumline, where plaque often accumulates. These include TePe Interdental Brushes, available in multiple sizes to fit between gaps of all sizes, TePe EasyPick for flexible interdental cleaning on the go, and the TePe Supreme toothbrush, designed to enable more efficient cleaning between the teeth and along the gum line.
*Research conducted via a OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults aged 18 and over, between 4th and 8th September 2025 (nationally representative on the basis of age, gender, and region).
