T - 24 hours until your dentist appointment. You're in panic mode.
Suddenly, you begin flossing like your next breath depends on it. You're using mouthwash and brushing with charcoal and baking soda. You're trying that oil pulling thing.
Your teeth will be on point. Your gums will be perfect. You are a plaque-removing machine. You're going to crush that dentist appointment.
Rrrrright. Because 24 hours of super-hero brushing and flossing will make up for the last 5 months and 29 days that you forgot to floss.
Reality tells us that good oral hygiene should be a daily activity. It's an activity that comes with benefits.
Good Oral Hygiene Is Vital
The benefits of good oral hygiene extend far beyond having clean teeth and a winning smile. Most people know a beautiful smile is a pillar of good health, but there are many more surprising benefits!
1. Improved Mental Health (yes, really)
How is that possible? If you have white teeth, you feel more inclined to smile and show your pearly whites off to the world! The simple act of smiling helps to trigger the release of serotonin and dopamine, making you happier and improving your mental health overall.
Of course, to get white teeth you need an effective teeth whitening system like SNOW, as well as good dental hygiene. Once you ditch the discoloration and reap the rewards of consistent care, the extra effort will be so worth it!
2. Saving Money
The more you consistently care for your teeth, the less your dentist will need to work on them, and the more money you will save! You should still go for a check-up every 6 months, of course. But by preventing gum disease, cavities, and other dental disasters you could be saving hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars a year.
The average American will spend nearly $700 a year on dental work. That is no joke ... That's enough to pay for a little 4 day cruise! If you develop dental issues, those costs will spiral even higher. Ummm ... no thanks. Use that money for something fun!
3. Avoiding the Domino Effect of Gum Disease
Gum disease starts innocently enough with tender gums, a little bleeding, and some pinkness, but if left untreated, it can develop into a dental nightmare and one that could carry on to the rest of your health.
Gum disease can lead to serious issues in your mouth, including irreparable damage to your gums and teeth, and it may also be impacting on your cardiovascular health. Oral bacteria caused by gum disease can travel via bloodstream to our hearts causing damage to the heart valves.
While the jury is still out on the subject, many experts now believe that there is a direct correlation between poor dental health and increased risk of dying from heart disease, which is the biggest killer in the United States. Dental plaque has been found in the arteries of patients with heart disease.
It is hard to believe that people with periodontal disease are 2 to 3 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular complication ... but it is true.
Bottom line: Pay attention to your gums!
4. Fresh Breath
Fresh breath is quite literally no laughing matter. Our breath leaves an impression on people. When you're trying to communicate, it is an unpleasant distraction.
No one wants smelly breath, but no one truly knows just how putrid their own breath is. The only way to ensure your breath doesn’t stink is to maintain good oral hygiene—whether it's done by brushing your teeth and tongue and using mouthwash, or by limiting your consumption of tea, coffee and other drinks that leave a sour taste in your mouth and a sour smell on your breath.
Know this: Without good oral hygiene you will never reach your dream of being the next star of a Dentyne Ice commercial. In other words, no kisses for you.
5. Keeping More than just Gum Disease at Bay
Your dental and cardiovascular health are not the only things at risk when you have poor oral hygiene. Researchers have found links between gum disease and increased risk of diabetes, premature birth, dementia, and arthritis.
What?! Holy cow. Clearly, keeping gums healthy must be a priority if we want to maintain a healthy body.
That’s not to say that gum disease is a direct cause of these. Correlation doesn’t imply causation (throwback to stats class, am I right?), but the connections are there and that should be more than enough to lite a fire in your efforts to improve your oral hygiene.
6. Improved Love Life
"I love puppies, college football, long walks on the beach ... and stale coffee breath."
Yeah. Nobody has a dating profile like that.
Both men and women have emphasized the importance of good dental hygiene when looking for a date. There are people who are happy to overlook yellowed teeth and even bad breath, but the vast majority with working noses are turned off by it.
Having clean teeth, fresh breath, and an amazing smile means that you could be significantly improving your chances of finding someone special!
7. No Pain from Rotten or Impacted Teeth. Hooray!
Dental pain is not quite like child birth or kidney stones, but it still hurts.
Dental pain is far from the worst pain that humans can experience, but it tends to be one of the worst pains that the average person will experience. Tooth pain can radiate through the jaw, eyes, ears, and neck. Super fun.
The pain of a cavity, an impacted tooth, or an infected tooth can be unbearable at times, and it’s a pain that someone with poor dental hygiene is constantly exposing themselves to.
No one enjoys getting root canals or having their teeth pulled. So, to be free of pain and expensive dental treatments, and to reap a host of other benefits, make sure you brush your teeth regularly.
Now you know why it's important to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Why not keep them sparkling, too? Try Snow today and take our quiz to find out what's staining your teeth!
