3 Reasons You Should Always Brush Your Teeth

A lot of people know that they should brush their teeth every day, twice even. However, did you know that aside from keeping your teeth clean, cavity-free, and your breath fresh, that there are other reasons you should always make it a priority to brush?

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Well, if you don’t know what those reasons are, consider some of these the next time you decide to skip a day without brushing:

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Your heart health could be negatively affected.

While skipping a day won’t do much harm, neglecting to brush for days or weeks on end could cause gum disease. Recently, some researchers have found that those who suffer from gum disease sometimes end up suffering from coronary artery disease. While researchers are not exactly sure why or how gum disease affects the heart, a lot of them believe that the bacteria in your mouth can get into your bloodstream and then attach to fatty plaques in your heart’s blood vessels.

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Your breathing could be negatively impacted.

Just like gum disease can affect your heart, it can also affect how well you can breathe. According to the Journal of Periodontology, gum disease could increase your chances of getting a respiratory infection and pneumonia. The bacteria sitting in your mouth could even be inhaled into your lungs, thus making the respiratory infection or pneumonia even worse because it could cause your airways to inflame.

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Have diabetes? Well, keep a close eye on your blood sugar if you don’t brush as often as you should.

Individuals who have diabetes are more likely to suffer from gum disease. Plus, diabetics are also more susceptible to infections. And, to make things even worse, some research has even suggested that gum disease makes it harder for individuals to control their blood sugar levels. So, if you’re a diabetic, and you keep skipping out on brushing after you sneak a sweet snack or two, you better keep an eye on your blood sugar levels even after you take some insulin.

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In addition to what is mentioned above, there are also many other things that can happen if you do not brush your teeth like you should. Therefore, the next time you think about skipping, remember that you could be affecting more than just your breath and smile.