Interestingly, I do not brush my teeth. Yes, yes I know this is apparently unhealthy and is not a social norm, but nothing adverse has happened. I visit my dentist once every 6 months, and I have never had a cavity, and I only have very minor staining on the back of my teeth. I have also never had anything surgical done to my mouth (braces, alignment, etc) I was born with perfect teeth. They are pretty white too. So I really don't see any reason to brush. I don't have a problem with bad breath either. I think this is probably because I don't consume sugar. I drink milk and eat rice in the morning, drink water and eat rice at lunch, and drink water and more rice for dinner. Also, before I go to bed, I scrape any plaque off my teeth with my fingernail, and rinse with some water. However, my mother discovered my horrible habits and forced me to brush. So now I brush once per day. Is there any good reason I should brush more often, or brush at all?

EsX_Raptor

United States2802 Posts

June 19 2012 05:10 GMT

You may not notice the effects of not brushing your teeth right now, but I am certain that you will in the future. So listen to your mother!

Canada36 Posts

June 19 2012 05:12 GMT

gross...
you should atleast brush your teeth once a day ( twice would be best ).

Parametric

Canada1261 Posts

June 19 2012 05:12 GMT

unhealthy mouth can cause heart disease among other bad things afaik

Suc

Australia1569 Posts

June 19 2012 05:13 GMT

Why would you go to the trouble of scraping plaque off your teeth with your fingernail when it would be so much easier to brush?

ninazerg

United States7291 Posts

June 19 2012 05:13 GMT

I think once a day is enough, unless you want to kiss someone. If you're going to kiss someone, brush your damn teeth first.

iTzSnypah

United States1738 Posts

June 19 2012 05:15 GMT

Yes brush your teeth. I don't brush my teeth and they are..not in pristine condition. Soda kills bro, Don't join the club of nasty teeth, you'll regret it.

fatfail

United States386 Posts

June 19 2012 05:15 GMT

Yeah I'll try to brush twice from now on. Probably better for me.

Nokarot

United States1410 Posts

June 19 2012 05:20 GMT

I used to not do it either for a long long time, as recently as a few months ago, for the same reasons. Near-perfect teeth, never needed braces, was fitted with some plastic caps (not sure of their technical term) on the crowns of my teeth when I was a child that prevent cavities. I fell out of the habit as I started growing up, and then earlier this year decided to try to start the habit again.

More than anything, I think it's a "better safe than sorry" thing to do. The daily friction of bristles-on-bone doesn't magically give you super healthy teeth, it just helps minimize the risk of infections and all sorts of other terrible things. It's the same reason you wash your hands or shower- you can theoretically have healthy skin without it, but your risks are much higher.

You may as well just do it. Health aside, if you plan on kissing anybody ever, you cant just chug mints and hope for the best.

micronesia

United States24799 Posts

June 19 2012 05:24 GMT

#10

This is one of those things where the apparent lack of evidence of a problem doesn't mean one isn't brewing. You will be PISSED at yourself in 10-30 years if you don't take good care of your teeth now.

We are blessed by the ability to take good care of our teeth (something our ancestors up until a few decades ago didn't share). TAKE ADVANTAGE.

lac29

United States1485 Posts

June 19 2012 05:24 GMT

#11

Bad breath is pretty gross. I think you should reconsider your hygiene habits.

goldendwarf

Canada170 Posts

June 19 2012 05:30 GMT

#12

On June 19 2012 14:24 lac29 wrote:
Bad breath is pretty gross. I think you should reconsider your hygiene habits.

OP said that he didn't have bad breath, did you even read the OP?

eXigent.

Canada2419 Posts

June 19 2012 05:33 GMT

#13

How do you know you don't have terrible breath? Most people don't just go up to you and say "Hey your breath stinks!". They usually just refrain from being within a distance to smell your mouth. I guarantee by not brushing your teeth, you have bad breath. You said yourself that you scrape plaque off your teeth before sleep, and plaque is one of the major causes of really bad breath. Trust me dude, it probably smells.

If you ever tried flossing (doubtful lol) then you will know how bad plaque can smell. If you don't believe me, then try flossing 1 night, and rub the small white plaque between your fingers and then smell it, I bet its beyond terrible.

On June 19 2012 14:30 goldendwarf wrote:

Show nested quote +

OP said that he didn't have bad breath, did you even read the OP?

It's really hard to actually judge your own breath, and the OP probably hasn't had anyone rude enough to outright tell him. I know a few people that have really bad breath, yet no one has ever told them that. It's not something you can politely say to someone.

Disregard

China10252 Posts

June 19 2012 05:35 GMT

#14

Bad breath and plaque, I had a habit of not brushing before I sleep or rinsing. Now I have minor plaque issues, waiting for my healthcare to renew -_-

Tazza

Korea (South)1678 Posts

June 19 2012 05:46 GMT

#15

dude, it was recently found that germs from the mouth sometimes creep into the brain and can cause a lot of different sicknesses, particularly for the elder. So yeah, you might not be feeling it right now, but you will feel it in the near future.

If you're too lazy to brush, just do what I do. I brush my teeth in the shower in the morning, and at night, if im feeling really tired, i'll just rinse my teeth with toothpaste

rotinegg

United States1719 Posts

June 19 2012 06:03 GMT

#16

it's even a part of this song

BrTarolg

United Kingdom3574 Posts

June 19 2012 06:08 GMT

#17

It's true that the quality of your teeth is quite dependent on your diet and lifestyle

This is often evidenced by many tribes in the past who had perfect teeth, but very quickly their next generation had horrific teeth that required a lot of care when exposed to a western lifestyle

Someone who is born and has "great teeth" without any modification isn't actually luck, it's a very strong indicator of the kind of lifestyle they have.

Recognizable

Netherlands1552 Posts

June 19 2012 06:27 GMT

#18

Dude, brush you fucking teeth. It takes, 2/3 minutes, it's healthy and your breath won't smell.

Jockmcplop

United Kingdom9999 Posts

June 19 2012 07:23 GMT

#19

I never brushed my teeth until about about 2 months ago. I suddenly acquired a lovely big tooth abcess in the corner of my mouth where the crumbled remains of a wisdom tooth is. It became infected and the whole side of my face swelled up from my neck to my temple. Although the infection wen away with some antibiotics, the abcess is still going strong and, which means i can''t fully open my mouth. This in turn means i can't eat sandwiches and i have to chop all my food up really really small.

^^^^^^ all of this is honestly true.

Brush your teeth.