Surely you’ve found yourself at least once in a situation where, after a long day, you can’t wait to lie down and fall asleep. And just then, you realize you forgot to brush your teeth and think: Do I have to get up now and brush my teeth?
Of course, nothing terrible will happen if that occurs once. But what happens in your mouth overnight if you often go to bed without brushing? Or if you don’t brush your teeth at all before bed?
What Happens in Your Mouth Overnight?
Food left on the teeth and gums after eating serves as a source of nourishment for bacteria. Through their metabolic processes, bacteria turn this food into an acidic environment and begin to multiply. This acidic environment creates ideal conditions for the development of tooth and gum diseases. In such an environment, bacteria start the process of tooth decay.
When you don’t brush your teeth before bed, bacteria have the entire night to quietly break down your teeth in their acidic surroundings.
What Happens to Your Gums Without Brushing?
Another issue with food residue on your teeth and gums is that soft deposits, or plaque, harden after a few days. This happens when minerals from saliva embed into the soft plaque. It then becomes a hard deposit — tartar. Tartar can form in just a few days if a part of the tooth surface is not thoroughly cleaned.
Tartar easily builds up and serves as an ideal hiding place for bacteria that negatively affect the gums. The problem with tartar is that you cannot remove it later by simply brushing more thoroughly — it requires professional removal by a dentist.
The Body’s Response to Bacteria
The immune system reacts to the presence of bacteria and tartar, leading to an immune response — inflammation of the gums. This inflammation serves as a defense mechanism aimed at killing bacteria. Redness, bleeding, pain, and swelling are signs that the body is fighting off invaders.
But what happens when that tartar and its resident bacteria sit on the gums for weeks or even months? The immune system cannot keep up with such a large bacterial load and begins to destroy healthy tissue. Over time, this entire process leads to gum recession. This is how gum disease — periodontitis — develops, and it can eventually result in tooth loss.
Just Two Minutes Can Save You Pain
The next time you feel too lazy to brush your teeth before bed, remember that delaying sleep for just two minutes and doing a little bit of work can save you a lot of pain and trouble at the dentist in the years to come.
