Is brushing your teeth once a day okay?
By: Dr. Heather Hradek
| A patient recently asked us the following question: “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been brushing my teeth only once a day. When I was a kid though, I did it two times a day. Is brushing your teeth once a day okay?” |
Brushing your teeth once a day is better than none at all, but the American Dental Association recommends brushing two times per day for two minutes each time. Brushing your teeth helps remove plaque buildup, which is the colorless, soft, sticky film on your teeth that contains sugars and millions of bacteria. Ew. The bacteria in plaque cause cavities and gum disease if not removed regularly with brushing and flossing. When it’s not removed in a timely manner, it turns hard and hard to remove, at which point it is referred to as calculus or tartar and only a professional dental cleaning can remove it effectively. Left untreated, this buildup leads to gingivitis first, which is the inflammation of the gums, but left untreated long enough, this turns into periodontal disease, which is when the inflammations spreads to the bone and causes irreversible bone loss.
The bacteria in plaque and tartar are what contribute to bad breath. When you wake up in the morning with ‘morning breath’, it’s because that plaque has been accumulating on your teeth throughout the night. Brushing helps remove it and freshen your breath so your co-workers don’t mind working with you! Brushing your teeth is also a big way to prevent cavities by using a fluoridated toothpaste. The fluoride in toothpaste helps to remineralize and repair teeth that have cavities starting by replacing the building blocks in the teeth that have been lost.
Flossing is also a crucial component to keep your teeth healthy. Brushing only removes plaque from 3/5 of the surfaces of the tooth, leaving 40% of the tooth surfaces uncleaned! Flossing removes the buildup in between your teeth, where the tooth brush bristles can’t reach and effectively clean.
Keeping your teeth important to clean is important for your overall health! The debris that’s left behind can wreak havoc throughout your body as periodontal disease is associated with several chronic inflammatory disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. People with periodontal disease are at a higher risk for developing cancer, having a stroke, and even having a premature and/or low birth weight baby. Healthy gums are pink and fit tightly around the teeth. Unhealthy gums show signs of inflammation such as swelling and puffiness, dark red color, easily bleeding with brushing and/or flossing, recession, tenderness, and bad breath.
Do you have any of these signs or symptoms of unhealthy gums? Time to start brushing more and to give us a call to schedule your updated exam and professional cleaning!
Chesterton Family Dental is the general dental office of Dr. Mystie Pieters, Dr. Heather Hradek, and Dr. Robert Pieters providing comprehensive dental care for the entire family. Call today at (219)929-9289 to schedule your visit!