This is how much plaque
grows on your teeth after not
brushing them for a single day.
Now this is just one day
of not brushing your teeth.
But what would happen
if you decided to stop brushing forever?
Plaque is a sticky film
made up of bacteria,
leftover food particles and saliva.
It helps other types of bacteria
adhere to your teeth,
meaning it only helps your mouth get
dirtier and dirtier.
So we know plaque can grow pretty quickly
on your teeth in just one day,
but what would happen
if you stopped brushing your teeth,
for the rest of your life?
Before we get to that,
what lives inside your mouth on an average day?
Over 6 million bacteria,
from 700 different species,
live inside your mouth.
Not all of those are bad for you,
in fact, a lot of them promote good health.
But some bacteria living in your mouth
are harmful to you.
That's why you brush your teeth
since it helps get rid of that harmful bacteria.
And now, you've suddenly decided to stop brushing.
A week has gone by,
and you're starting to notice some serious bad breath.
People stay a little bit further away from you
when you try to talk to them.
But bad breath would be the last thing on your mind.
After just a week of not brushing your teeth,
the plaque in your mouth would begin to harden and form tartar.
This is like a really hard plaque that
discolors your teeth,
and at this point,
only a dentist would be able to get rid of it.
And on top of all that,
your enamel would begin to be damaged
as bacteria continued to multiply in your mouth.
Now that's one week of not brushing.
Let's fast forward to one month in this crazy experiment.
So, here's some good news.
If you normally spend an average of 4 minutes a day brushing your teeth,
at this point, you've saved two whole hours!
Hey that's enough to watch a movie.
And then we have some bad news,
which is, everything else.
After Not brushing your teeth for a month,
you'd start to get cavities.
These holes in your teeth
would continue to get deeper and deeper
and they'd eventually fill with pus.
Mmm.
As time goes by,
the cavities in your teeth would get worse and worse.
You'd also start to develop gingivitis
which would inflame the gums around your teeth.
Now good luck trying to eat anything,
because at this point,
your gums would be incredibly sensitive.
This would continue for about a year.
And after that, you not brushing your teeth
would lead to periodontitis.
This is when the inner layer of your gums
starts to pull away from your teeth
and form pockets
which would collect food and bacteria.
With all this extra bacteria in your mouth,
your immune system would start to destroy your gums.
And after your gums start to go away,
you'd lose your teeth as they decayed and fell out of your mouth.
And now that you don't have any teeth,
you could start to have health issues outside of your mouth.
A study in Caifornia found that
people who didn't brush their teeth daily
had a 20 - 65% greater chance
of getting dementia than those who brushed multiple times a day.
And for all the guys out there
who decide to stop brushing your teeth?
Well, that could lead to erectile disfunction.
In a 2012 study,
it was found that 53% of the patients with
erectile dysfunction
also had severe periodontitis.
So not brushing your teeth forever
would not only affect your mouth
but also other parts of your body as well.
My advice? Just brush your teeth.
It only takes a couple of minutes a day, and you'll be a healthier person for it.
It's obvious that not brushing your teeth would be
pretty awful for your body.
Another thing that would be terrible for you?
Only drinking Coca-Cola.
But, we'll leave that story for another WHAT IF.