[huskyr]

I've got an electric toothbrush that already has a really simple form of 'gamification'. You're supposed to brush each of the four 'quadrants' of your teeth for 30 seconds, after 30 seconds the brush starts to buzz a little bit, reminding you to switch quadrants.

It sounds pretty stupid, but i was surprised how well it actually works. When i'm brushing my teeth with an 'ordinary' brush i tend to miss the automatic buzzing :)

[FroshKiller]

I have that same toothbrush. When I have to use a regular toothbrush, I feel very self-conscious that I'm probably not brushing as long as I would be if I were using the electric one.

I like to make a game of seeing whether I can do other tasks in the time it takes me to brush my teeth. Can I make cinnamon toast while brushing my teeth in under two minutes?

[RankingMember]

I'd like to see some actual data to back up the idea that 30 seconds a side is enough, as everyone's mouth and eating habits are different. I appreciate how nice it is to be able to say "brushing takes 2 minutes...ALWAYS", but that just seems too simple to actually be the case. I'd like to see a study done to compare mouth cleanliness of those who use a brush with the 30 second per quadrant buzzing and those without.

[Intermernet]

You can get those toothbrushes for kids that play songs through the bristles. I've heard of parents teaching their kids that certain verses and phrases mean to switch to a certain brushing style and position, and they have to keep brushing until the song ends.

Another invention I originally scoffed at, but now just wish I'd come up with...