You’re about to go on a first date with a girl you have been chatting with on Tinder
and you feel like there is a lot of promise with this one.
You spent all day preparing, showering, spraying yourself with cologne, combing your hair after
dumping a little too much gel all over it – because, hey, you’re nervous!
Your mom helped you choose your outfit, a nice long-sleeved, collared shirt and dress
pants with dress shoes.
She urged you to add a tie to your ensemble, but you retaliated, asserting that you didn’t
want to look overly formal.
Finally, after much preparation, you feel somewhat confident and ready to go.
Your mom grants you a kiss on the forehead before you leave and, instead of telling you,
“good luck,” she says, “don’t come back until you bring me grandchildren!”
As if you weren’t under enough pressure already!
You offer to pick your date up like the gentleman that you are, but she insists on meeting in
a public place – a reasonable request for any meetup with someone from the internet.
So, you go to meet her at a small Italian Bistro.
Once you have your table, you patiently wait and that’s when the anxiety escalates.
You think you remembered everything when getting ready for this moment, but you can’t help
but suddenly feel like you forgot to do something very important.
Your tongue crosses over your teeth and that’s when you suddenly realize with horror that
you forgot to address basic oral hygiene.
This is when panic sets in and you race to the men’s room to see if you can do the
next best thing: rub water across your teeth using your finger over the sink.
Unless some guy in the bathroom with you happens to be carrying a portable bottle of mouth
rinse on him to share with you - which is not likely - you’re pretty much out of luck.
Thus, you return to your table and hope that your date won’t notice, but who are you
kidding?
You know you’re going to feel insecure about this all night, which may spoil your evening
with her as the nagging thought gnaws at you.
She arrives, prettier face-to-face than her pictures on her profile.
The two of you chat over dinner and connect really well.
Now, one of two events may occur.
Either you’re too ashamed of your unkept teeth to make a move, or you are having such
a great time that you forget about the whole thing and approach her anyway.
Either way probably won’t end too well.
In the first scenario, you decide not to approach her at all, in which case she’ll either
think you’re simply not interested in her or that there’s something wrong with you.
Her mind may come up with different ideas about you, “Maybe he’s a virgin or maybe
he is not actually into women.
Maybe he’s better friend-material than romantic…”
As a heterosexual male, this is the last outcome you want from the woman that you’re attracted
to.
The pressure for men to be charming and perform adequately on a first date can be daunting
and confusing as is, let alone with the added strain of knowing you forgot to brush your
pearly whites.
Still, there’s hope that maybe your date will be one of those girls who appreciates
that you respect her enough not to make a move on the first date.
All you can do is cross your fingers and hope this is the case.
In the second scenario, you are having such a good time that you completely forget about
your mouth situation.
Your bodily position instinctually moves in closer towards her, which would indicate interest.
But she begins to get a whiff of your unpleasant breath and her body responds by stiffening.
She won’t say anything to you directly because she is polite, but you recognize the expression
of disgust on her face and immediately retreat to your former sitting position, biting your
lip and covering your mouth in shame.
Because the unpleasant truth, as many men can attest, is that women notice and have
the impeccable power to pick up on every detail.
So, if you forget something crucial like brushing your teeth before a date, you can count on
her knowing about it and reporting it back to her friends after your evening has ended.
What a disaster!
Now you face the dread of returning home to your mom and you get to hear the familiar
lecture about how you’d better move out of her downstairs basement before you turn
forty.
So, aside from causing you bad luck in the dating department and displeasing your mom,
what else can occur when you don’t brush your teeth?
Also, what happens if you stop brushing your teeth for a long duration?
Well, it probably goes without saying that you can kiss your social life goodbye.
Your connections will be flushed down the toilet as more of your friends start to cancel
their plans with you to avoid smelling the nasty odor vortex from within your mouth.
Some may not even realize why it is suddenly unpleasant to be around you, but they no longer
have an interest in being physically nearby.
“There’s just something off about him these days,” they may say.
“I can’t quite put my finger on it…”
But the nose knows.
Typically, when you forget to brush your teeth once or twice, the worst that may ensue is
bad breath.
Sometimes, if you forget to brush in the morning, you may have some of that morning goo on your
teeth – you know what we’re talking about: That slime sensation when you first wake up.
This morning slime is known as biofilm, which is a thin layer of bacteria that sticks to
your gums and teeth.
It is pale yellow in color and just plain gross.
The goo is like a film, hence the name.
It happens to everyone.
And if you’re a mouth breather, you might also feel really dry with cracked lips, which
is the worst kind of feeling.
Brushing your teeth helps to remove biofilm and freshen your mouth, which is a great way
to start the day.
Now, we understand that not everyone actually enjoys brushing their teeth.
Many people may do it out of obligation so that they don’t have to hear a long, drawn-out
lecture at their next visit to the dentist.
But when you stop brushing your teeth on a daily basis and you don’t shed the morning
biofilm, bacteria can build up to form dental plaque.
Plaque can lead to gum disease that is built from bad bacteria.
This is especially true if you have a sweet tooth – forgive the pun – and you eat
a lot of sugar.
The leftover sugar thrives and transforms into tooth-decaying acid.
The longer you go without brushing your teeth, the more likely the biofilm or plaque can
turn into a thick tartar that only a dentist can remove with their specialized tools.
People on Google commonly ask how long you can go without brushing your teeth before
the accumulation of plaque becomes too thick.
We found the answer to be one week.
We should add that between 3 days and one week, you may also develop gingivitis, a gum
disease that causes your gums to redden with touch and bleed more often.
So, what percentage of people actually skip brushing their teeth?
“According to statistics from the Delta Dental Oral Health and Well-being Survey found
on the American Dental Association’s website, more than 30 percent of Americans aren’t
brushing enough [- meaning length of time -], and 23 percent of adults have gone two
or more days without brushing their teeth in the previous year” (Quoted from Capetta,
2015).
This seems to be the case mostly for young males, as explained by Dr. Wolff, a professor
in the department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University College of Dentistry.
If you were to go longer than a week without brushing your teeth - let’s say a month
- the bacteria begins breaking down your teeth.
Not only will your gums turn red, but you’ll also see your teeth start to decay.
Now we move into uncharted, disgusting territory.
If you dare to go an entire year without brushing your teeth, you will notice holes in your
teeth from where the acidity of plaque has burned through your choppers.
At this point your gums won’t be just red, they’ll be completely inflamed.
Okay, so what if you went five years?
Now this is a ridiculous stretch but while we’re on the topic, we may as well explore
it.
After 1,800 days without brushing, you would have insanely severe gum inflammation.
At this point, you may also be in need of false teeth to replace the ones you have left
– if any.
Obviously, we wouldn’t recommend going against your dentist’s advice so do yourself a favor
and just brush.
Dr. Wolff from our source suggests brushing for two minutes at least once a day.
Many people don’t brush this long in one go unless they’re one of those OCD types
who feel the need to touch every corner of their mouths.
We’re talking about people who are diligent, getting at every nook and cranny when they
brush, which is a good thing but not everyone has the time.
In the popular tv show, The Office, Michael Scott said he brushed his teeth less than
thirty seconds in the episode, “The Injury.”
To be specific, he actually said 30 seconds was 3 times as long as it took him to do it.
Needless to say, you probably don’t want to be a Michael Scott.
Taking two minutes out of your day is definitely worth it, especially if you want to put your
mind at ease for when you’re with a woman on your next date.
After all, you can count on her wanting to see you with fresh breath and teeth.
Even if you have many other flaws you can’t account for, you can at least control the
state of your mouth.
How long have you gone without brushing your teeth?
Let us know in the comments.
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