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Why Brushing Your Teeth at Night Is So Important

26 January 2021

Duane Kelly

The best way to prevent tooth decay and gum disease is to keep bad bacteria at bay. And the most effective way of doing that is by brushing your teeth. But just brushing your teeth in the morning is not enough. In fact, if you skip your nightly brushing sessions, even just occasionally, you could be increasing your risk of dental problems exponentially.

If you often skip your nightly tooth brushing sessions, then here is why that can be a very bad idea.

Oral bacteria build up on your teeth throughout the day

After your morning tooth brushing session, your mouth gradually begins to fill up with oral bacteria. In the beginning, good oral bacteria inhabit the bio films on the surfaces of your teeth. These bacteria don't damage your teeth.

Unfortunately, bad bacteria gradually take over until they are the dominant bacterial organism on your teeth. This is when your teeth start to feel fuzzy to the touch. The once good film covering your teeth has turned into plaque, a sticky film that contains millions of bacterial organisms

By the time you go to sleep at night, your mouth is teeming with bad tooth decay-causing bacteria.

Oral bacteria feed on the food particles in your mouth

Bad oral bacteria are able to multiply throughout the day because they feed on the foods that you consume. The digestive process begins in the mouth, and oral bacteria take advantage of that process by consuming the simple sugars in the foods you eat. And if you eat lots of processed foods, then your food will contain even more simple sugars.

Under normal circumstances, you would remove built-up food particles from on and between your teeth by brushing your teeth before you go to bed. But if you skip your nightly brushing session, then you go to bed without removing the bad oral bacteria or their source of food.

Your mouth is defenceless while you sleep

Bad oral bacteria cause tooth decay by excreting acidic compounds onto your teeth and gums after they digest the foods in your mouth. And this is also what gives you bad breath when you haven't brushed your teeth in a while or when you first wake up in the morning.

The best defence against oral bacteria, besides oral hygiene, is saliva. Saliva kills oral bacteria. But while you sleep, your mouth dries out, especially if you sleep with your mouth open. This leaves oral bacteria to feed, multiply and excrete acids onto your teeth.

If you skip your evening tooth brushing sessions often, then you could soon find yourself at your dentist to receive treatment for widespread tooth decay. Contact your dentist to receive more information.

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