Why You Shouldn’t Go To Bed Without Brushing Your Teeth First

As soon as we were old enough to handle a toothbrush on our own, we were taught to brush our teeth every night before bed. This is a great way to get kids in the habit of taking their daily dental care routines seriously. It’s much easier to remember to brush if you always do it at the same time each day. We tend to keep up this habit throughout our lives, and there are good reasons for this.

Sure, sometimes we fall asleep on the couch or are otherwise too wiped out to go through all of our nighttime rituals, such as letting the dog out one last time, going through our skincare routine, or getting into our pajamas, but forgetting a well-established bedtime routine is pretty rare. Let your Kansas City family dentist remind you exactly why you always brush your teeth before you turn in, and why you should keep doing it!

Brushing is one of the most important things you can do to take care of your teeth, and you should always brush at least twice at day. When you’re an adult, just like when you were a kid, having a bedtime brushing routine makes it easy to remember. But there’s more to it than that.

Debris from the food that you ate during the day contributes to the formation of plaque on your teeth and gums. This is happening pretty much all the time, thanks to the work of bacteria that live in your mouth. During the day, saliva helps to combat this. Saliva’s got natural antibacterial properties and helps to keep the bad stuff in your mouth at bay. Problem is, saliva production decreases while you sleep.

Don’t believe us? You’ve got all the proof you need right in your own mouth. You know that fuzzy feeling in your mouth when you wake up in the morning? That’s the result of plaque buildup and decreased saliva production. When you brush right before bed, you help to give those busy bacteria less to work with, and you ensure that you’ll wake up with a fresher mouth and healthier teeth.

What’s more, plaque buildup and other bacterial byproducts are not just a one-and-done thing. The longer plaque stays on your teeth, the more damage it can do. That’s why you want to brush at least twice a day, preferably after meals. You’ll give the plaque and acids released by bacteria less time to go to work on your tooth enamel and do lasting damage.

Not only that, but plaque that stays on your teeth actually gets harder, too. That’s how tartar forms, and tartar is what often discolors our teeth. Because tartar is harder than plaque, it’s more difficult to get off with just brushing. When you skip brushing too often, future brushing may become less effective.

That’s why it’s so important to brush at least twice a day, every day. It doesn’t take long—just two minutes each time, the same length as the average commercial break—but the effects are cumulative. You’ll sleep better knowing that you’ve vanquished the bacteria that damage your teeth and gums.

Plus, when you brush and floss every day, it’ll make all your visits to Blacker Family Dental in Kansas City, MO even more pleasant! Speaking of dental visits, if it’s time for your next appointment, just call (816) 763-8400 or click here to schedule.