In Space, No One Can Hear You Brush
Posted by Tanner Jessel on Tue, Jun 17, 2008 @ 12:02 AM
The "Alien" takes care of its teeth.
Shouldn't you?
For your teeth, what's more frightening than Ridley Scott's 1979 Horror film Alien? Tooth decay.
When you brush your teeth, you're not just doing it to make your teeth whiter, your breath fresher, or just to feel better. You're protecting your teeth from tooth decay. Brushing doesn't stop tooth decay, only your dentist can repair a decaying tooth. But by brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing daily, you physically remove many of the harmful bacteria that cause tooth decay before decay has a chance to start. By brushing, not only do you remove cavity-causing bacteria, but you remove food residue that these bacteria thrive on. This is why it's a great idea to brush right after eating, and especially before going to sleep at night.
The whole problem of tooth decay starts with bacteria that live in the mouth. When there's plenty of food available, particularly sugary foods like soft drinks, bacteria multiply. Anyone who goes to sleep without brushing will wake up knowing that the bacteria were busy overnight. Teeth will likely feel "fuzzy" to the tongue, and most people are in a hurry to rinse their mouths of the awful taste. The awful taste and bad breath are signs that bacteria have been fruitful and multiplied in your mouth!
Here is a scanning electron microscope view of the many microorganisms that together form that sticky, invisible film on our teeth called dental plaque, eventually hardening into tartar. See all the different kinds of bacteria?
As the bacteria found in your mouth "divide and conquer" while you sleep, they produce waste acid. Let's take a picture from the 1979 film "Alien" to demonstrate why acid isn't good for your teeth:
In this horror film, the horrifying creature - the alien- has acid for blood and a drop of alien blood melts through several decks of a space ship.
Of course, the acid produced by bacteria in your mouth isn't as strong, but it's the same principle. Whether from alien blood or bacteria in your mouth, acid is just not a great thing to have around your teeth.
You might think, "Well I take very good care of my teeth so I don't need to see a dentist." Remember though, you can't remove tartar yourself, and you need to go in for a cleaning every 6 months so the tartar can be scraped away before it builds up. Your dentist can stop problems before they start, including screening for oral cancer. And even if you're taking great care of your teeth on your own, your dentist can tell you if tartar is accumulating in a spot you might have overlooked in your brushing routine. Your dentist is an ally you should not be without.
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