Working shifts? Build your brushing routine around bedtime

Early starts, night shifts and changing rotas can move your whole bathroom routine. A useful starting point is to plan brushing around when you go to bed, then choose another daily occasion that fits the way you get ready.

This IVORI guide helps you turn those two moments into a practical plan for your next set of shifts.

Let your bedtime set the anchor

The NHS recommends brushing twice a day for about two minutes with fluoride toothpaste, including last thing before bed and on one other occasion.

For a night-shift worker, bedtime may be in the morning. The Delivering Better Oral Health guidance explicitly recognises this in its wording about brushing before bedtime. Use your actual bedtime when planning that part of your routine.

Put two brushing occasions beside your rota

Look at your next few shifts, including any days off or changeovers. For each day, identify when you expect to go to bed and another suitable brushing occasion. Getting ready for work could provide that other moment, whether your shift starts in daylight or after dark.

Then choose a cue within each routine: the final bathroom visit before bed, for example, or getting washed and dressed for work. Be specific about where you will brush and whether you can access your supplies there.

Planning workable times and thinking through obstacles are approaches included in Delivering Better Oral Health’s behaviour-change guidance. The examples below are practical planning ideas to adapt to your own circumstances.

Two example plans

These fictional examples show how the same two cues can fit different shifts:

• Day shifts: Alex plans one brushing session during the morning getting-ready routine at home. The other is the final bathroom step before going to bed that evening. Getting washed and dressed is the first cue; getting ready for sleep is the second.
• Night shifts: Jo plans one session while getting ready at home before leaving for work. After the shift, Jo brushes as the last step before going to bed in the morning. The bedtime cue follows the sleep schedule.

Check the changeover separately

Before switching between days and nights, review the next bedtime and the other daily brushing occasion. Check that your reminder and getting-ready cue still match the plan, especially on a day off when there is no departure for work.

If split sleep or a long waking stretch makes the timing unclear, take your actual rota to your dental team and ask how to arrange your twice-daily routine. They can tailor advice to your needs.

Remove one avoidable snag

Choose one thing that could interrupt the plan. If an evening reminder sounds while you are working, label it for the routine step and review its time when the rota changes. If your supplies travel in a work bag, make returning them to the bathroom part of unpacking.

Start with the next changeover on your rota. Write down the two intended brushing occasions and the cue for each, so the plan is ready before your working pattern changes.