Run your tongue over your teeth and feel that nice, fuzzy bacteria biofilm.
It's easy to forget how INSANELY DIRTY our mouths can get.
Even if you take great care of your teeth, your mouth is constantly full of bacteria that's trying to eat away at your teeth and cause disease. BuzzFeed Life reached out to American Dental Association (ADA) spokesperson Dr. Kimberly Harms, D.D.S., a dentist who practices in Minnesota and Rwanda, to find out more about common mistakes, things dentists wish we knew, and the seriously horrifying consequences of not cleaning your teeth.
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Right now, there's a super sticky biofilm called plaque that's coating the surfaces of your teeth with bacteria.
"That bacterial plaque sticks to the front, back, side, in between, and right under gums," says Harms. Plaque isn't very thick, so your teeth can actually feel relatively clean even when they're coated in it. But it's actually the root of decay and many other dental diseases, so it's good to understand that it builds up all over your teeth every day, which is why brushing is so damn important. “The best way to fight plaque is brushing for two minutes twice a day and flossing properly once a day,” Harms says.
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If your mouth is super dry, that bacteria grows even faster.
"Many people don't know how important saliva is for cleaning our teeth and fighting cavities," Harms says. Saliva obviously helps physically wash away food residue, but it also has antibacterial properties, neutralizes acids that eat away at enamel, and helps repair and restore teeth. So if you suffer from dry mouth (often caused by certain medications), that can be bad news for your teeth.
"You need added protection or attention to teeth cleaning if you have dry mouth," says Harms. There are a variety of saliva-increasing rinses and toothpastes on the market, but drinking lots of water helps, too.
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Plaque also grows on your teeth at night, which is why it's pretty gross to forget to brush and floss in the morning.
Even though you don't eat in your sleep and your teeth probably feel super clean in the morning if you brushed them before bed, plaque is still coating your teeth during all hours of the night. Hence morning breath.
"Brushing in the morning is just as important as at night, especially if you're a mouth-breather, which dries out saliva," Harms says. It doesn't matter if it's before or after breakfast, just as long as you remove the bacteria that grew overnight.
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