Sometimes when it is time for bed, you are so tired that you wonder if you should waste time and energy brushing your teeth before falling asleep. After all, you can brush when you wake up in the morning. The truth? Those few minutes spent brushing your teeth at bedtime are critical to oral health.
The Pros of Brushing Before Bed
If you need some motivation to brush your teeth at night, even if you are sleepy, here are a few of the pros:
- Remove bacteria buildup. As you eat throughout the day, the bacteria in your mouth feast on the foods you eat. After feeding, they excrete waste that can break down your tooth enamel, resulting in cavities and decay. Brushing before you go to bed helps remove this plaque before it can harden and calcify on teeth.
- Help prevent gum disease. Gum disease can be tough to treat and control if it progresses. The plaque that causes tooth decay can also play a role in causing gum disease. Removing plaque at bedtime can help you prevent gum disease.
- Reduce the effects of dry mouth. Your mouth does not produce as much saliva when you are sleeping, and this makes your mouth an excellent place for bacteria to breed. When you brush at bedtime, you will remove many bacteria and reduce the effects of a dry mouth.
- Fresher morning breath. Your mouth tastes and smells horrible when you forget to brush. Think about a time you forgot to brush and woke up with terrible breath. When you take the time to touch, you will wake up with fresher breath — something you and others will appreciate.
The Cons of Failing to Brush Before Bed
Failing to brush before bed comes with both short- and long-term consequences. Here are a few of the cons of forgetting to brush at bedtime that will make you want to take the extra time to pick up your toothbrush at night:
- Terrible breath. All those food particles in your mouth break down overnight and promote bacteria growth. This will cause awful breath in the morning. Failing to brush before bed leaves you at a greater risk for chronic bad breath.
- Cavities. Eventually, plaque that hardens on your teeth when you do not brush will damage the enamel of the teeth, and this will likely result in cavities.
- Gum disease. Your body will see plaque buildup as an infection, and your body will begin attacking the plaque buildup. This can make your body destroy healthy tissues holding teeth in place, causing gums to recede. Over time, this can result in tooth loss. Chronic inflammation is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease and other health problems, so taking care of your teeth is essential to your overall health.
Although brushing your teeth before bed can seem like a nuisance, your mouth’s health depends on that brushing time. Think about the consequences of not brushing — you can spare two minutes!
What happens if we do not brush our teeth often?
“If plaque is left for a long time on the teeth, it hardens into tartar. Tartar leads to tooth cavities and sometimes causes swollen, red, inflamed, and bleeding gums. Tartar can also lead to tooth decay to a point where one would have to get it extracted,”.
Plaque, bacteria, and tartar are detrimental to your teeth and health. Brushing at night might get boring or take time to form into a habit, but it is highly recommended and beneficial. Brushing at night also enables you to smile broadly with confidence, and a good tooth-care routine will eventually make you feel good about yourself.
So ladies, brush those pearls, floss your teeth, and visit your dentist regularly to maintain your million-dollar smile. Brushing in the morning to start the day with a fresh breath is what we prioritize. However, the most crucial time to brush is at night before sleep.