Your smile is one of your most attractive features, and your teeth are a crucial part of your smile. This is why we must learn how to take care of our oral health at a very young age. We have to establish the routine in our children to carry it with them to adulthood.
You probably remember having your parents or guardian teach you how to brush your teeth twice a day and to go about it in an up and down manner. You may even remember the way they scared you about being toothless for the rest of your life if you overate candy. When you finally got a bit older, brushing your teeth became routine for you. You probably didn’t question it anymore.
But why is it important to brush our teeth? What do we get out of it, aside from satisfaction at having finished that particular chore for the day? To answer this burning question, here are a few reasons why brushing our teeth is essential.
IT PREVENTS GUM DISEASE
Gum disease is just one of the many consequences of not brushing your teeth. Gingivitis, to be more specific, is the earliest form of gum disease. In fact, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), it can even progress to periodontitis, a much more severe issue that will require more careful and expensive management.
An irritating oral bacterium in plaque causes gingivitis. According to the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), people with gingivitis may not feel pain in their gums. However, their gum tissues are going to be red and swollen instead of pink and firm. Another symptom could include bleeding gums. If you’ve ever had dreams about bleeding gums and all your teeth falling out, you know how scary this is. It’s best to avoid it at all costs.
This form of gums disease is common in children because they are less likely to be thorough in their oral hygiene. Unless you finish up for them, they won’t be able to clean their mouth by either brushing or flossing thoroughly. This is why we should instill oral health habits in children if we don’t want them to grow up with oral health problems like gingivitis.
IT PREVENTS CAVITIES
Cavities are a formation of holes on the teeth that progresses due to tooth decay. This condition usually leads to tooth (or teeth) loss. These cavities form when acids in your mouth erode the enamel of your tooth. So, if you don’t want to walk around with a toothless smile, you should make sure this doesn’t happen to you by brushing your teeth.
Tooth decay is one of the most common dental issues that occurs in around 80% of the population. It takes about three years for a cavity to form in the outer layer of your tooth enamel. Tooth decay progresses more quickly through the middle layer to the innermost layer. The latter contains your teeth’ nerve endings and blood supply.
Several factors play a role in the development of dental cavities. One such factor is a bacteria in the mouth that feeds on sugary, starchy foods and drinks. This bacterium then converts these carbohydrates into acids, which causes the erosion of your tooth enamel. If you don’t brush your teeth after eating, you are essentially inviting cavity-formation in your mouth. It’s a terrifying thought.
IT PREVENTS BAD BREATH
If you are a personable individual with about a million friends, you should brush your teeth. Halitosis or bad breath can result from poor dental hygiene. If you don’t want to lose friends because of your dragon breath, you have got to make sure to prevent this from happening.
Look at it this way- if you don’t brush your teeth daily, food particles remain in your mouth. This, in turn, promotes bacterial growth between your teeth, around your gums, and on your tongue, which causes bad breath. Odor-causing bacteria can also thrive if your dentures are not adequately cleaned.
Some other causes of bad breath include poorly fitting dental appliances, yeast infections on the mouth, and cavities. There is also this medical condition called xerostomia, or dry mouth. Since saliva is necessary to moisten the mouth and neutralize the acids produced by plaque, if you don’t have much of it, it can cause bad breath.
However, if you practice good oral hygiene, such as brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, you should be fine! If, for some reason, you can’t brush after a meal, rinse your mouth with mouthwash and water to loosen up and free trapped food bits.
IT’S HEALTHY
The same way you grab a shower to wash the day off your body, you should also brush your teeth after a meal or twice a day. It’s only healthy and hygienic. You don’t want your mouth to become a horror-inducing mess, especially since you have to use it every day. Think about it this way- you use it to talk, to taste, and to eat. Now, imagine not being able to do all those things because of some dental issues. It would be a right shame, wouldn’t it?
The worst thing is, you have no one else to blame but yourself and your poor oral health routine. You didn’t care for your mouth, tongue, and teeth enough. You took it for granted, and now your indifference has rewarded you with dental problems.
Don’t wait for all these dental issues to occur before you start taking care of your teeth. Instead, prevent it from happening by making sure you practice the best routine for brushing your teeth. As they say, your smile is one of the most attractive things about you. It would be best if you cared for your smile more, then. Start by loving your teeth enough to practice brushing them twice a day with fluoride. From there, you can add flossing and mouthwash if you want to be thorough.