Hey there!
Welcome to Life Noggin.
You know those nights where you’re lying in bed and realize you forgot to brush your
teeth and you’re like, “Do I really need to get up?”
Well, skipping one night wouldn’t be the end of the world but what would happen if
you never brushed your teeth?
Like, ever?
Well, it’s actually a lot worse than you think.
Mouths are dirty, dark, moist places, full of breeding bacteria.
In fact, one mouth can contain more bacteria than there are people on Earth!
When we brush our teeth, we’re scrubbing away that excess bacteria, but also food particles
and plaque.
When we don’t brush, all that gross stuff just continually builds up in our mouths.
Our immune systems go into overdrive to try to clear it all out but they can’t.
And the consequences to not brushing at all could be much worse than the cavities or gingivitis
our dentists warn us about.
But before we get to that, let’s start with the basics.
Plaque is a film that coats your teeth and feeds on leftover sugars in your mouth.
It produces an enamel-eating acid that gnaws away at your teeth, leaving holes known as
cavities.
Uncontrolled plaque can also cause inflammation of the gums, aka gingivitis, discolored teeth,
oral abscesses and horrible bad breath.
When bacteria really starts to build up, you increase your risk of developing something
called periodontitis, which is the erosion of tissue, gums and bone that support your
teeth.
The mouth just can’t hold the teeth anymore so they fall out.
This is the leading cause of tooth loss and if you never brushed your teeth, you’d probably
have a lot less chompers than the rest of us.
Now this may seem like your run-of-the-mill dentist schpeil but this stuff can get serious.
The bacteria in your mouth is both good and bad, but things like MRSA and Staphylococcus
aureus can thrive in there.
And if you never brush your teeth, harmful bacteria like these can worm their way under
your gums and get access to your blood.
Yikes.
Poor oral care has been also linked to serious diseases such as heart disease, COPD, pneumonia,
and endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner lining of your heart chambers or
valves.
So if you’re leaving your mouth to fend for itself, you’d better watch out for these
conditions.
A few controversial studies have also claimed to have found links between bad oral hygiene
and things like dementia and erectile dysfunction!
And remember how not brushing erodes areas of your mouth?
Studies have shown that those pockets may serve as reservoirs for HPV and cancer-causing
substances.
Thankfully now, we have modern toothbrushes and floss to protect our pearly whites, but
in ancient times, people chewed on twigs to clean their teeth, then scraped the surfaces
with the frayed end.[23]
Now, you can just push a button and a handheld machine will work its way around your mouth
so you barely have to lift a finger.
So easy, right?
Don’t you want to go brush your teeth now?
I know I do.
What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without brushing your teeth?
Let me know in the comments!