What Happens If You Don’t Brush Your Teeth?

It’s late. You’re tired. The bed is calling your name, but you still need to brush your teeth. It might seem like a hassle, one that’s easy to skip. But remember: brushing consistently is crucial to your oral health. While one missed session isn’t the end of the world, an inconsistent or non-existent brushing regimen can take a serious toll on your teeth and gums.

How? That’s what this guide describes. It’s an outline of exactly what will happen if you don’t brush your teeth.

Why Do I Need To Brush My Teeth?

To understand how not brushing can affect your teeth, you need to understand how brushing works. When you eat sugary or starchy foods, bacteria in your mouth mix with the particles, releasing an acid. This mixture becomes a sticky, colorless film — plaque.

Plaque itself is a natural byproduct of your mouth’s ecosystem, but the acid it produces isn’t great for your enamel, and the film can harden over time, making it difficult to remove. When you move a toothbrush’s bristles over your teeth, they sweep away plaque and food particles before they can harm your teeth or gums.

How Often Should I Brush?

The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each session. For most people, that means once in the morning and once before you go to bed. This schedule ensures that you’re removing plaque before it hardens or damages your enamel, and studies consistently show that people who brush fewer than twice a day are more susceptible to tooth decay.

The two-minute brushing time isn’t arbitrary either. A study from the Journal of Dental Hygiene showed that brushing for two minutes removed 26% more plaque than brushing for 45 seconds. Over days and weeks of inadequate brushing, that leftover plaque can accumulate and increase your risk of cavities, gingivitis, bad breath, and other oral health issues.

Some people prefer to brush their teeth three times per day, once after each meal. That’s also a good practice, especially if you have braces, since they catch food particles and bacteria easier. However, regularly brushing more than three times in a day puts you at risk of wearing down your enamel, so stick to 2–3 times a day.

What Happens If I Don’t Brush?

As we’ve already discussed, failing to brush your teeth will leave plaque behind. Missing one brushing session won’t necessarily damage your teeth, but doing so consistently can cause problems. Plaque can begin hardening and eating away at your enamel within just a few days. If you go several days to a week without brushing, some of your plaque has likely hardened into tartar and you’ve entered the early stages of tooth decay.

Here are some of the oral health issues that can develop from inconsistent brushing:

Cavities

When it’s not removed, the acid that results from bacteria breaking down carbs can erode your enamel and form a tiny hole. This is a cavity, and it can cause tooth sensitivity, toothaches, bad breath, and swelling. To treat a cavity, you’ll need to see your dentist for a filling.

Gingivitis

If tartar forms on your teeth, particularly around the gum line, it can cause irritation and inflammation of the gingiva — the gum tissue that borders your teeth. Left untreated, it can cause additional gum swelling and bleeding, periodontitis, and tooth loss. Mild cases typically respond well to increased oral hygiene, although severe cases may require professional care.

Periodontitis

Periodontitis is a severe gum infection that comes as a result of ongoing gingivitis. Gum inflammation can form spaces between your gums and teeth, where plaque can seep in and degrade bone and tissues. It can cause your gums to swell, hurt, bleed, or smell, and can eventually lead to tooth loss. Treatments depend on the severity and include scaling, root planing, antibiotics, and surgery.

Tooth Loss

When a case of periodontitis goes untreated, or a cavity destroys the pulp at a tooth’s core, it can cause tooth loss. At this point, you would need an implant, bridge, or partial dentures to fill the gap.

Bad Breath

Plaque and bacteria don’t smell very pleasant, and can cause bad breath if you let them flourish in your mouth.

Possible Link to Heart Disease

A few recent studies have shown that people with poor oral hygiene are more likely to develop heart disease. However, there’s not enough research to determine whether this is an actual correlation or if people who neglect their oral hygiene are simply more likely to neglect other parts of their physical health as well.

Possible Link to Cognitive Decline

One recent study in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society showed that people with poor dental hygiene were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life. But like the heart disease studies, it’s a link that researchers are still investigating.

How to Brush and Floss Properly

It’s not just when you brush, but how you brush that’s important, since improper brushing techniques can leave plaque on your teeth. If you have a manual toothbrush, hold it at a 45-degree angle to the gums and move it back and forth over the front, back, and chewing surfaces of your teeth, spending 30 seconds on each quadrant of your mouth. Scrub each tooth carefully, but do it gently, since brushing too hard can erode your enamel.

For an electric toothbrush, hold it at a 45-degree angle, but because it does the brushing motion for you, there’s no need to scrub the bristles against your teeth or gum line. Simply move it along the outer, inner, and chewing surface of every tooth.

Flossing is equally important, since it removes hard-to-reach plaque from between your teeth and near the gum line. Dentists recommend flossing once per day — typically before bedtime — or after each meal if you frequently get food stuck between your teeth.

Take 18–24 inches of floss and wrap the ends around your middle fingers until you’ve got just 1.5–2 inches left. Pull it taut with your thumbs and index fingers. Then, once you’ve got the floss between two teeth, pull it into a C shape around one side and move it up and down. Repeat this move on the opposite side, being careful not to run it into your gums. When you’re done, move to the next gap, and so forth.

Don’t neglect your twice yearly professional cleanings either! Even if you’ve got a great homecare routine, a hygienist with professional equipment can provide a deeper, more thorough cleaning. Plus, they give your dentist a chance to assess your dental health and address any issues.

Which Toothbrush Should I Use?

There are a ton of different toothbrushes out there. And even though they can all effectively remove plaque if you use them correctly, you still want one that’s comfortable and within your price range.

First, you’ll need to decide if you want a manual or electric brush. Some studies have shown that electric toothbrushes are slightly more effective, but they’re also usually a lot pricier, and either type will keep your teeth healthy if you use it right.

Most importantly, you want a brush that fits your mouth well, so pay attention to their head and bristle size. Make sure to get the correct bristle stiffness, too. They come in soft, medium, and hard, but dentists recommend soft bristles for most people, since hard ones can erode the enamel if you use too much pressure. Beyond that, it comes down to your budget and preferences.

Final Thoughts

Brushing your teeth is a small task — just four minutes per day — but it can have an enormous influence on your oral health. An inconsistent brushing routine can lead to a host of issues, both immediate and in the future. So stay on top of your brushing routine, brush with proper technique, and don’t neglect the floss and professional cleanings, and you’ll have a happy, healthy smile for years to come.