For as long as you can remember, you’ve always been told to brush your teeth every day. It started when you were a child, and you may have passed down this lesson to your own children. But, have you ever stopped and wondered why we do it? What are the health benefits of brushing your teeth every day? Conversely, what happens if we don’t brush our teeth as frequently? If this sounds like an issue you face, be sure to get it fixed and get beautiful smiles with dentures.

A few things happen, but they mainly revolve around one key concept: the removal of plaque. Plaque is a white substance that builds on your teeth throughout the day. Basically, it’s a coming together of food and bacteria that settle on and around your teeth. If you want to be gross, you can actually feel it by lightly scraping your teeth with one of your fingers. You should end up with a white sticky substance on your fingertip. 

Anyway, plaque is bad as it can cause all sorts of issues. As you look at the benefits of brushing your teeth, you’ll soon see why getting rid of plaque is so crucial!

Prevent cavities

When plaque isn’t removed it will harden into calculus. Now, this is a serious problem as calculus can’t be removed by brushing your teeth. The longer it stays on a tooth, the more damage it will do. In essence, it causes tooth decay, creating holes in your teeth. This will possibly come with some pain, depending on how deep the decay goes. Fillings are also known as cavities, and this can all be prevented by brushing your teeth. 

Plaque isn’t hard, so it can be brushed away with ease. By contrast, calculus sticks to your teeth and almost becomes as hard as it. Keep in mind that calculus can’t be removed by brushing your teeth. The only way to remove it is by seeing a dentist. Before choosing where to go, always make sure they’re setting the standard for impeccable dentistry by checking the reviews from previous patients. This lets you know if you do a good job or if they’re keen to get you in and out as quickly as possible. 

Avoid root canals

What happens when a cavity gets bigger and deeper? Sometimes, it can eat away at the entire tooth and mean it has to be extracted. Another problem is that the decay goes so deep it damages the nerve. As a result, you need a root canal to get rid of the nerve and stop all the excruciating pain you feel. 

Again, you can only get this procedure at a dental office. To make things worse, root canals are super expensive. So, as well as damaging your teeth, you will also damage your bank balance. 

Prevent gum disease

Brushing your teeth is also essential for preventing gum disease. People who suffer from gum disease will find it hard to eat certain foods as their gums start bleeding and hurting. Your gums also start receding, which makes your teeth wobbly and prone to falling out!

Plaque is the problem yet again! Without brushing your teeth, plaque builds at the gumline and basically eats away at your gums. This can lead to all sorts of dental health problems in the future. Thankfully, gum disease can be cured, and the effects can be reversed. 

Reduce the risk of heart disease

Really? Brushing your teeth can reduce the risk of heart disease…how?! Once more, we return to our friend, plaque. Do you remember what I said plaque was? It’s basically bacteria that sits in your mouth, but it doesn’t stay there. When you swallow, plaque travels down through your mouth into your bloodstream. In turn, it can clog up your arteries and increase the chances of heart disease. 

Therefore, brushing your teeth will significantly reduce the bacteria and plaque entering your blood. As a consequence, this will lower the chances of heart disease developing. 

Improve your mental health

A brilliant benefit of brushing your teeth is that you get rid of things that could stain them. Consequently, your teeth remain nice and white. This can have an impact on your mental health as it raises your confidence. Not brushing your teeth will cause staining that makes your teeth look yellow. This ruins your self-confidence and you never feel like smiling. As such, your mental health takes a battering. So, brushing your teeth can help with your confidence and mental wellbeing. 

When you look at these points, it suddenly becomes clear why we’re told to brush our teeth every single day! Plaque can form throughout the day and it only takes one missed day of brushing for it to harden. Be vigilant – brush your teeth before sleeping and at one other point in the day.