Brushing Teeth: Is it really necessary?

[Loba]

@Michael569 Fortunately, I do go to the dentist to get cleanings twice a year, but I agree with you and will start this habit for the new years as part of my morning routine resolution.  Can't wait for perfect gum health!  I see Leo's healthy gums when I watch his videos, I noticed how nice they were and how white his teeth are and it makes me want to take better care of my teeth as well.

[Michael569]

@Loba good stuff! I was surprised how much dental health can actually impact the rest of the body (eg. lungs, heart, even the brain) if neglected, when writing the blog about it. Definitely worth staying on top of it. 

[Heaven]

I stopped brushing my teeth when I was 5 and now I have nothing to brush.

Lol jokes aside, I love to feel my mouth clean

[Lyubov]

I think flossing is overrated. I think brushing is very important. I think you can floss once a day to occasionally or not even bother flossing and be fine. There is even some evidence that suggests flossing is overrated and gives such a tiny benefit that it’s not even that noticeable. I think diet plays an important role as well. 

[Gregory1]

On 27.12.2021 at 2:22 AM, Leo Gura said:

Using string to floss is like wiping your ass with a shoelace.

@Leo Gura this made me laugh hard.

I love you.

 

[Gregory1]

How necessary is flossing? I never in my life did it, currently I'm 22 never had any teeth issues

 

[Ulax]

@integral Boss buy some colgate and a toothbrush, and brush the fuck outta your teeth.

[PurpleTree]

i love brushing my teeth, feels like a mouth massage

if i can't brush my teeth i feel disgusting

[Loba]

Started flossing daily after this thread and have continued to do so, gums stopped bleeding pretty early on.  I keep the floss by my bed so I don't forget and just do it right before I go to sleep.  Cheers to better habits.

[mandyjw]

I'm so annoyed by any buildup on my teeth I have a tooth scaler. Tried a waterpick once, got the entire bathroom soaked and thought it was so over the top it reminded me of the time I used a pressure washer to clean the concrete and didn't realize it was so powerful I was boring holes in it. 

[sholomar]

I use an Oral B electric and floss daily and I have gotten glowing remarks from the dentist ever since, both from a plaque perspective and doing that test of gum integrity where you get numbers like, 1,2,2,3,1 for the gum pockets between teeth. A lot of it will be genetics and gut bacteria composition through...you might just have a good microbiome that supports healthy teeth you may not need to brush as much. Low carb eaters in theory wouldn't need to brush as much. The worst offenders for plaque buildup for me are bananas.

In general I wouldn't recommend not brushing and flossing to most people.  Pro tip...use a toothpaste with stannous fluoride...it's superior to sodium fluoride. It would help to not be an anti fluoride conspiracy theorist either. It really does help strengthen enamel...the science is as clear as CO2 causing global warming. You can always consume extra iodine to compensate.

Im general I like to be green but my one guilty pleasure is using plackers twin line flossers...those plastic disposable flossers with 2 pieces of floss in them. With them the flossing habit is so much smoother.

Edited January 4, 2022 by sholomar

[Myagooshki]

Also when it comes to flosspicks—which I am a big fan of as well—you can use one flosspick per flossing session. You don't need to use a new floss pick per tooth gap. Some people think that. Eventually they'll be made out of hemp plastic or something so in the long run I don't think it's necessary to worry about wastefulness at any degree, and it certainly conserves floss. 

I actually never brushed my teeth regularly until I was in a band in 8th grade and people were complaining about my breath. Ever since then I am very anal retentive about always brushing my teeth every morning and many nights.

Always make sure to brush your tongue! That is important in fighting bad breath.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Myagooshki

[Bob Seeker]

Flossing with string is a pain bc I have to wash my hands with my cold ass faucet water before I stick them in my mouth to get the molars. 
 

im def buying floss picks.

[PurpleTree]

guys how about wiping the ass, is it really necessary?

i mean seems futile

 

[Yarco]

On 12/31/2021 at 6:42 PM, Gregory1 said:

How necessary is flossing? I never in my life did it, currently I'm 22 never had any teeth issues

 

You might not have teeth issues but you probably have gum issues.

Does your dentist do a periodontal pocket depth test by poking into your gums around all your teeth each visit?

Before I flossed, most of my pockets were 5/5 depth (the worst possible.) Since I started flossing and occasionally rinsing with saltwater, they are mostly 1s and 3s now. Also getting a dental cleaning is much less painful. Before I would see them vacuuming buckets of blood out of my mouth when I had cleanings, I had to take Advil before my appointment and I'd still be gripping the armrests because it was so sensitive.

Worst part is I basically had to realize it and start doing it myself. Even with the bad readings, my hygenist and dentist never pushed the issue. They asked how much I brush and floss but never really gave recommendations or told me how harmful it was to not floss. Your dentist probably says nothing because nowadays we can't offend or guilt people. They probably assume most people don't care enough to change their behavior. But ask them honestly and they'll probably tell you that your gums are wrecked.

I'm a mouth breather and snorer which makes your gums even worse. If you don't floss and you're a mouth breather and you have allergies, your gums will be like raw hamburger.

Gum disease can cause other serious problems like heart disease. It's like having raw sores in your mouth that lets bacteria and other nasty stuff directly into your bloodstream. Once your gums recede to a certain point it's hard to get them back... the more sensitive parts of your teeth will be more exposed, more likely to get cavities and infections under the gumline, if it gets really bad your teeth will start to get loose and fall out when you're older because there's no gums left to hold them in place, even if you don't have cavities.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Yarco

[Bojan]

On 25.12.2021. at 3:43 PM, integral said:

Its been over 5 years now that I've stopped brushing my teeth and I've noticed no difference, i do have a good tongue and finger cleaning habit right after every meal to get it all off the teeth. 

Is brushing teeth a myth we have been thought by the social matrix? There is likely some truth to keeping teeth clean but maybe its been marketed and over exaggerated.

Water mouth rinsing + tongue and finger scrapping habits after a meal is probably all someone needs. Good mouth maintenance habits are entirely not thought or spoken of and are replaced with "brushing teeth" paradigm. 

Thoughts? 

If you are gonna be on a water fast, it is not necessary.