Brushing Your Teeth Before Going to Bed: How Important It Is in Ankeny?

If you are like many people, you occasionally forget to brush your teeth before going to bed at night. You may feel cozy in bed that you do not want to get up and brush your teeth. While a night of not brushing your teeth won’t hurt, skipping this every night can have negative consequences. Experienced dentists in Ankeny will always emphasize the importance of tooth brushing for oral hygiene. 

Why You Should Brush Your Teeth

Brushing your teeth for two minutes at least twice every day gets rid of the plaque and prevents the formation of cavities that can lead to tooth loss. Also, it protects your gum from diseases and prevents bad breath. Remember to floss your teeth too, to keep your mouth clean and protected. 

Why Brush Your Teeth Before You Go to Bed

Experts recommend brushing your teeth after you eat breakfast and before you go to bed. Below are the reasons brushing your teeth before going to bed is important:

• Prevent bacterial growth. Going to bed without brushing your teeth can lead to bacteria eating your mouth’s residuals and generating plaque. This can result in cavities, tooth decay, and gum decay. The longer plaque is in your mouth, the more damage it can cause. This is the reason you must brush your teeth two times every day. This provides the plaque with less time to work on the enamel of your tooth and does lasting damage. In addition, plaque gets harder over time. This is how tartar develops, causing teeth discoloration. Brushing is not enough to remove tartar. And skipping brushing too often can make brushing less effective.
• Minimize acid level buildup. Your mouth builds up acid, which is neutralized by your saliva with calcium. But saliva production tends to be slow at night. As a result, the acid level in your mouth increases, letting bacteria eat your teeth. However, brushing your teeth before going to bed maintains the level of saliva in your mouth because of the fluoride in your toothpaste, preventing your teeth from damage. 

It takes just skipping one brushing time for a cavity to start forming. If you continuously neglect to brush for several nights, such a habit can be quite risky for your oral health. Also, you must think about the quality of your brushing because not brushing your teeth properly before going to bed can be as bad as not brushing them at all.