MOST people do the morning/night routine.
If you think about how many times people (especially our age) miss a night here or a morning there (waking up in random houses, etc) that still have nice teeth, I think you are being a little paranoid.
You missed 12 hours. Brush your teeth, use some mouthwash, and relax, you're fine :)
At least one of them was definitely not.
Well said.
Well, not to fuel your fire or anything but 99% of the "damage" to your teeth is caused within the first few minutes after eating (and during). So if you are really paranoid you should brush both before and after eating. Damage that leads to gum desease can go on for hours after eating though.
HOWEVER. You can miss brushing thousands of times (Well not in a row) before there will be any real damage. In that respect teeth are insanely tough. Once or twice a day is enough. Flossing at least once a day is probably the MOST imortant thing.
Just don't go sucking on oranges or lemons or eating sugar 10 times a day and your teeth will survive a single brush and floss a day amazingly well :)
As you will no doubt be aware, we English are known around the world for our beautiful teeth.
Consequently I feel qualified to offer this advice. You really should get out more
Thanks for that. It's not that I forgot, I knew the entire time my teeth were in a dirty state. It's just that I had been worried all night before that day and I hadn't slept for more than like 4 hours, then when I woke up at around 8AM I had breakfast but since I was upset I wasn't that motivated to brush my teeth...then I unintentionally went back to sleep since I was tired. It seems I had repeated the process when I woke up at around 1PM later that day. Ironically, a slight depression that happened the other night spawned even a greater depression that has so far lasted almost 4 days. I could say had my bigger brother not been downstairs on the night I got upset pretty much none of this would have occurred, but I think I'm more to be blamed after all I'm the one who prevented myself from brushing...not him.
I wish I had that mentality, since I think the more important thing is my mood right now which has not been improved for 4 days...but anyone keeping track of my threads over the past few months will know I'm probably the most paranoid and sensitive person here, that looks for help online for seemingly small things like this...
Why first few minutes after eating? And would the damage during eating be partly from the crunching of food? Just wondering...or do you mean because of food particles?
And why before eating?
Ok so based on your last quote, were you saying 99% of the damage will occur within the first few minutes, but then many hours later it could only increase the damage by around 1%?
Also would you know when something irreversible starts to happen? I mean I don't think waiting for 5 minutes after eating will cause anything that you cannot reverse, but for 12 whole hours this may be. I have been looking up statistics about when any part of the mouth starts to get affected (of course in the permanent sense) and I stumbled upon something but I forgot what the link was...was wondering if anyone has similar sources.
Also I was concerned about both teeth and gums, but as far as I'm concerned gum is something that heals on itself right? I mean nothing can be permanently done to it since it's like flesh? Also, if this is true, then why did I read online that, for example, a recessed gum line can never be restored to normal? I guess this is more like a scar (dent in flesh that doesn't heal) and not like a simple bruise which regenerates? Would make sense, but I want some input on this anyway.
Now as far as teeth are concerened they don't heal especially at the age of 21. Not saying anything noticeable happened...I'm just paranoid as someone has said, but more importantly depressed like hell...
This is what baffles me (by the way I'll pretend you said not less than twice a day since I could never believe in the once a day routine...).
So anyway, some and I think more than half recommend the twice a day routine.
Would this mean then that 12 hours (half a day) can do NOTHING to your oral health? Even doing this each and every day? I've been depressed for four whole days over the fact I missed 12 hours without brushing my teeth...but as the saying goes, twice a day is enough. Does that necessarily imply no longer than 12 hours after eating or does this have nothing to do with the time period after eating?
If by twice a day people mean, right after breakfast, then before sleeping (which I guess would be about 6 or 7 hours after eating since, after breakfast, comes lunch at around 2PM, and then you would go to sleep at around 9PM) which means, you would really have waited a maximum of 7 hours without brushing your teeth, since the person ate at 2 and brushed his teeth right before going to bed at 9, so you see twice a day can be vague...it could mean don't go longer than 12 hours after eating, or the above scenario.
Ok.
Immediate family always tells me that. It's not that I don't want to go out, I just want to spend my summer resting indoors.
He said 99% of the damage to your TEETH. THEN he mentioned that your GUMS can be affected even longer.
Teeth do not equal gums :)
Damage to your TEETH takes place as bacteria are also eating the same food that you are at the same time that you are. Several minutes after you stop eating the food is gone and they are no longer as active about accidentally disolving your teeth.
So brushing BEFORE you eat minimizes the bacteria in your mouth while you eat.
GUM DESEASE is cause by food getting stick down in your gums and sitting there for a long time afterwards, flossing is needed to remove that. SO brushing and flossing after you eat will clean that up.
But for most people doing that 6 or 8 times a day is a bit much, good dental health can be mainteined by doing it only once or twice generally.
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