Dentists everywhere suggest brushing your teeth twice a day. After a long day, however, you’ve probably asked yourself “What’s one night of not brushing? I’ll just brush extra long in the morning.”
First off, stop that thinking and go brush your teeth. Next, we’ll lay out the reasons why it really is critical to brush your teeth twice a day:
Brushing Your Teeth Promotes Saliva Production
Saliva plays a critical role in your oral health. Brushing your teeth helps to stimulate the production of saliva, which helps to protect your teeth from harmful bacteria throughout the day.
While sleeping, saliva production slows. Luckily, brushing your teeth nightly can help to produce protective saliva before bedtime, making your teeth less susceptible to invading bacteria and plaque.
Brushing your teeth twice a day is essential to the production of your saliva. If you only brush once per day, your oral hygiene can be negatively impacted due to a lack of saliva, resulting in cavities and gum infections.
Brushing Twice a Day Rids Your Mouth of Harmful Disease-Causing Bacteria
The mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria. While most bacteria is completely harmless, some types of bacteria can wreak havoc on your oral health if left untouched (or unbrushed).
The buildup of bacteria hurts your mouth in many ways. First, bacteria can wear away protective tooth enamel (the visible part of your tooth). Bacteria can also permeate and weaken the gums, exposing the roots of your teeth to harmful invaders.
In addition to causing damage to your teeth and gums, studies have linked oral bacteria to the development of respiratory conditions and even some cancers. Brushing twice a day can help to rid the body of these harmful bacteria, providing you with some piece of mind and fresh breath.
Many Diseases Impact Your Oral Health
There are a number of diseases that can negatively affect your oral health, making it important to remain diligent about brushing your teeth twice a day.
For example, people with diabetes (Type 1 or 2) have compromised immune systems. This makes their gums particularly susceptible to infection, which means that brushing twice a day becomes even more important.
There are other diseases that also impact oral health; osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and HIV/AIDS are just a few of them.
As a rule of thumb, if you have a condition that compromises your immune system, you need to brush twice a day – thoroughly – in order to maintain good oral health.
Oral Health is Your Gateway to Overall Health
Many serious cardiovascular and immune diseases are related to oral diseases. Poor oral health can be linked to diabetes, heart disease, endocarditis, and can even affect pregnancy and birth, among other things.
Studies have also linked oral health to the quality of life and, believe it or not, economic earning potential. When you brush twice a day, you’re not only promoting oral health but your overall health as well.
Yes, You Really DO Need to Brush Twice A Day
Brushing your teeth twice a day promotes oral health while also helping you to avoid a host of problematic oral diseases and discomfort.
Who knew that oral health was so closely tied to your overall health? Brushing twice a day is as much about oral hygiene as it is about keeping your entire body healthy. If you’re having a tough time getting into the habit of brushing twice a day, contact us for more tips and tricks to get it into your daily routine, as well as scheduling your 6-month teeth cleaning checkup.
