Although not brushing your teeth for just a single day won’t do anything terrible, skipping it quite often can have a drastic effect on your oral health. You need to understand that brushing your teeth alone isn’t enough; instead, you need to take proper care of your oral health and hygiene.
Brushing has not always been the same as it is now. Now, people have multiple options to take care of their teeth, such as floss, using a variety of brushes, even automatic ones, which have made it easier for the users to remove debris and plaque from teeth.
Previously, when there were no brushes, people used twigs and sticks to clean their teeth. This, however, was an excellent procedure to clean up the teeth from debris; the process was quite a time taking.
The Chinese discovered the first form of toothbrushes when they used pig’s hair as bristles to clean their teeth. They used to attach the bristles with a bone just like the modern toothbrush works, and that was the only thing they could have to take care of their oral hygiene. We are so fortunate that we have so many options, particularly about taking care of oral health. Because if we look back in history, cleaning one’s teeth was never an easy task.
Toothbrushes come in a wide range of varieties, varying in their size, colors, and quality of bristles over the brush. You can also select among different price ranges and have the one that suits your oral needs and budget.
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Issues that Arise From not Brushing Teeth
Mouth if remains unclean becomes a home for many bacteria and viruses. The mouth is the gateway to the body, so these bacteria, when grown, enter the human body and leave various health side effects.
Below-mentioned is the list of health-related problems that arise when you don’t brush your teeth regularly. The issues below stated are oral and other hygiene-related:
1. Dental Health
Dental health is the most essential factor that helps a person look good to others. Teeth mark the first impression when you speak, and if teeth are rotten and not clean, the first impression will not be good. Regular brushing your teeth and taking good care of your oral hygiene keep your teeth clean from plaque and bacteria. This not only makes your teeth look bright white and shiny but also keeps them healthy.
2. Gingivitis
Gingivitis is a gum disease that happens due to the plaque present in the teeth and oral area. This disease weakens the gums and causes redness, irritation, swelling, or inflammation. The gums bleed more in this oral disease.
3. Periodontitis
Gingivitis, when left untreated, causes periodontitis. In this disease, the plaque and bacteria that first weaken the gums start affecting the bones that have been there to provide support to the teeth. The bones begin to weaken, the teeth lose their support, and in the end, your teeth fall off.
4. Cavities
Your teeth are always sensitive to cavities. When you do not clean your teeth regularly, plaque forms a layer over the teeth. Plaque is a yellow-colored substance, which has bacteria in it, and it damages the enamel. This damage to the teeth attacks the protective layers and causes cavities. If the cavities are remained untreated, it causes tooth loss and various severe infections in the long run.
5. Cardiovascular Diseases
Over time, many research and studies have been conducted regarding how poor oral hygiene affects the human heart, its health, and which medical conditions are associated with it. According to one of the studies, it has been researched out that heart failure and atrial fibrillation are less likely to happen to those who brush their teeth at least thrice daily.
Various researches have also proven that people who have regular visits with dentists are less likely to develop any heart-related diseases.
Situations of Complications When You Don’t Brush Your Teeth?
The research regarding complications of not brushing the teeth regularly isn’t very realistic, as most research participants didn’t quit brushing for more than a single day. However, the below-mentioned are the situations that different scientists have made good guesses and studies about over the period.
1. One Year
If you don’t brush your teeth for one year and your immune system isn’t also robust, you are more likely to develop cavities, different types of gum diseases, and tooth loss over time. On the other hand, if your body has a strong immune system, the body might resist the threat of potential bacteria to harm the overall oral health. But this resistance will not also last long.
2. One Week
One week of not brushing your teeth leads to weak tooth enamel. Moreover, this condition also causes bad breath out of the mouth. The food particles are even tiny when remaining in the tooth, they start to rot, and soon they start rotting your teeth as well.
3. One Day
There have been proven research and studies that if the teeth are not brushed for more than 36 hours, the enamel starts to vanish, so you cannot skip brushing for even a single day. The damage begins one day after you have not brushed your teeth, which becomes a matter of concern if you do not take it seriously.
Regular Oral Hygiene; Some Tips To Follow
Oral hygiene is not only comprised of brushing your teeth daily alone; rather, it is regarding taking good care of your oral health. It can be done in various ways and procedures. Below-mentioned are some easy to follow guidelines to follow regularly to maintain good oral health;
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day
- Make sure that you have fluoride mixed in your toothpaste
- Brushing for less than 2 minutes won’t be effective
- Floss your teeth as well once a day
- Make sure to have regular appointments with your dentist, especially when you have even a minor oral problem.
- These are some basic essential tips that you must follow for better oral health.
Following mentioned are some other ways that you can try to keep your gums healthy:
- Water mixed in fluoride is also suitable for dental health. You can drink it anyway and make your gums healthier.
- Using cigarettes and tobacco products is harmful to dental health. Such products can cause your teeth to decay. So, avoid them as much as possible. They also ruin your teeth’ aesthetics.
- Fluoridated mouthwashes can also be used for better oral health care.