# What is the worst that can happen if you never brush your teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086 "2014-05-23T13:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/21 "2014-05-23T23:58:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’ve seen otherwise healthy patients die from runaway dental infections. That brings back the memory of a guy who died from an abscessed tooth on the Big Island when I was living in Honolulu. It sounded horrific. The news treated it as a big deal since Hawaii prides itself on its public health, so there was a graphic description, and politicians vowed never to let it happen again. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/22 "2014-05-24T00:13:55Z")
I got divorced at 40 my teeth were pretty good. I wasn’t brushing as often as I had in the past. Very often I would only brush in the morning. Within 3 years my teeth suffered badly. maybe they were do to start failing but I think now it was my own fault. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/23 "2014-05-24T08:22:29Z")
My wife’s son-in-law seldom if ever, brushes his teeth. He’s 38 now and beginning his long journey down the dental implant highway and has little money for the tolls. I hope someone drives him because he’s also an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/24 "2014-05-24T10:07:53Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > As I read the OP I thought to myself, “I wonder how long until God’s gift to comedy pops in with a ‘English’ joke”. > > Thanks for not disappointing. It is heartwarming to know that there are still people out there who are utterly incapable of any sort of humour outside of predefined tropes. I’m glad there’s people out there that feel they can get by without ever actually thinking for themselves or possibly even defining themselves by doing anything remotely original. I wake up every day thanking the Lord that I do not believe in for the presence of people like you, because you just make it so much easier for the rest of us to come across as intelligent, humorous and, frankly, pleasant people. > > Thank you. Hmm…That seems like a balanced response. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/25 "2014-05-24T11:35:16Z")
I think alot would depend upon your diet. We eat alot more sugar than in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/26 "2014-05-24T11:45:43Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > People will assume you’re English. 😉 I don’t know why some people are getting their knickers in a knot about this. I’m British, and I’m not offended, the British do have bad teeth. Even the Queen has bad teeth. I took it as a joke and laughed so hard my dentures nearly fell out. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/27 "2014-05-24T12:40:12Z")
Speaking from personal experience, not much happens. I didn’t brush my teeth for years. Maybe once a month or so. Good genetics, I guess, because I have good teeth. I went years between seeing a dentist - I think the biggest gap was seven years. When I finally got a job with dental benefits, I saw my dentist. That ended up with me being referred to a periodontist and spending many hours in his chair getting all the built up crap scraped out from under my gums and trying to stop the process of my teeth rotting out of my head, as my mother had told me they would if I didn’t brush them. But that was years of neglect, not just one. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/28 "2014-05-24T12:41:19Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I don’t know why some people are getting their knickers in a knot about this. I’m British, and I’m not offended, the British do have bad teeth. Even the Queen has bad teeth. > I took it as a joke and laughed so hard my dentures nearly fell out. Thin skin, I guess. Although I must admit, it wasn’t the most original of tropes. Still taking such strong exception seems an over-reaction. I’d offer **amanset** an opportunity to retaliate, but I’m Canadian and therefore practically perfect in every way. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/29 "2014-05-24T13:07:00Z")
> [@Turpentine](#): > > calculus had calcified so extensively that it looked like a coral reef had grown over their teeth. Calculus can Kill!:eek: No wonder people have math anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/30 "2014-05-24T15:06:02Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > People will assume you’re English. 😉 Or living in remote Alaska. Ever see Chip Hailstone on “Life Below Zero”? Like that. ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/31 "2014-05-24T15:46:42Z")
I don’t think it is a “one size fits all”. Some people may do quite well, and other folks, as mentioned in previous posts, may get an infection and it could be deadly (septic shock). ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/32 "2014-05-24T23:49:54Z")
> [@Whitney\_Harper](#): > > I don’t think it is a “one size fits all”. Some people may do quite well, and other folks, as mentioned in previous posts, may get an infection and it could be deadly (septic shock). That is right, some people get cavities and perio while taking good care of their teeth. Some people don’t do squat and have no problems. Has a 40 y.o. patient with the most perfect teeth I’ve ever seen. All 32, perfect alignment, no decay, no restorations and no gingival inflamation or perio problems. Only brushed his teeth once or twice a week. Sugar and fermentable carbohydrates are the enemy. But everyone reacts differently. Things like saliva flow and shape of the teeth also matter. We had a pathology specimen in dental school of a guy who had an abcess on an upper canine. It spread behind the eye along the optic nerve to the brain causing death. So yeah not brushing could lead to death be it is very unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Nightfall1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@Nightfall1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightfall1)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/33 "2014-05-25T01:17:14Z")
My brother turns 68 next week. He hasn’t been to a dentist since he was 21. I never known him to brush or floss. He has horrible teeth to look at. Almost green in color, the molars are black on top. He doesn’t have bad breath, he has rotting smelling breath. If he ever needs an operation I bet the doctors will not do it till he has his teeth fixed. Doesn’t bother him at all. He never even thinks what people think of him. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/34 "2014-05-25T05:08:52Z")
I was once handed a cat with teeth so rotten that the puss from the infection was coming out of his ears. We had to have him put down because the abscesses in the brain were too severe to treat. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/35 "2014-05-25T14:58:45Z")
I think the regular pro cleanings are probably more important than the brushing. That’s just speculation based on personal experience though. I’ve always done my daily dental hygiene faithfully but I hate dentists so I haven’t seen one in 20 years. The results have been less than satisfying although I haven’t had an issue that has required an emergency appointment. But I do have partially rotted front bottom teeth and serious calculus buildup around the gums. I’ve decided to finally do it because it’s just not good. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/36 "2014-05-25T19:02:20Z")
It’s genetics and diet. I think for the most part, if you don’t rinse your mouth with sugar like a lot of people do, you might be alright. I was terrible at brushing my teeth when I was a kid, but I drank a lot of water and little sugar. My daughter is the same and she has no issues. my step-son (none of my genetics, obviously) had to have several teeth removed, fillings, crowns, spacers, etc. Using the same routine, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/37 "2014-05-25T20:25:01Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > We had a pathology specimen in dental school of a guy who had an abcess on an upper canine. It spread behind the eye along the optic nerve to the brain causing death. So yeah not brushing could lead to death be it is very unlikely. That specific kind of death is unlikely, but death with periodontitis as a distal cause is not so unlikely. Chronic periodontal disease dumps C reactive protein and other inflammatory markers associated with heart disease into the bloodstream, and this may increase risk of heart attack and stroke. There’s also a growing correlation (not cause, but still enough to warrant extra attention and care) between oral disease and [cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88948/). All of those conditions bring with them a substantially increased risk of death. It’s not that hard to imagine. You stop flossing and brushing. The build up of plaque - which is nothing more than a bacteriological biofilm - increases exposure to bacteria, and you develop a chronic case of periodontitis with inflamed, painful gums. Both the inflammatory cytokines and the bacteria from the infection make their way into your circulatory system. The cytokines increase inflammation in other parts of your body, especially the heart, and the bacteria lodge in places where the immune system has a difficult time finding and fighting them. If you’re diabetic, you less able to fight off infection. Same goes for pregnant women and people already coping with an overwhelming infection like pneumonia. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/38 "2014-05-25T21:24:45Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > That specific kind of death is unlikely, but death with periodontitis as a distal cause is not so unlikely. Chronic periodontal disease dumps C reactive protein and other inflammatory markers associated with heart disease into the bloodstream, and this may increase risk of heart attack and stroke. There’s also a growing correlation (not cause, but still enough to warrant extra attention and care) between oral disease and [cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88948/). All of those conditions bring with them a substantially increased risk of death. > > It’s not that hard to imagine. You stop flossing and brushing. The build up of plaque - which is nothing more than a bacteriological biofilm - increases exposure to bacteria, and you develop a chronic case of periodontitis with inflamed, painful gums. Both the inflammatory cytokines and the bacteria from the infection make their way into your circulatory system. The cytokines increase inflammation in other parts of your body, especially the heart, and the bacteria lodge in places where the immune system has a difficult time finding and fighting them. If you’re diabetic, you less able to fight off infection. Same goes for pregnant women and people already coping with an overwhelming infection like pneumonia. of course it is unlikely but worst case for sure. I don’t pesonally know of any deaths directly caused by not brushing. I have seen several patients that had to be hospitalized due to an infection/abcess. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/39 "2014-05-26T04:03:49Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > That specific kind of death is unlikely, but death with periodontitis as a distal cause is not so unlikely. Chronic periodontal disease dumps C reactive protein and other inflammatory markers associated with heart disease into the bloodstream, and this may increase risk of heart attack and stroke. There’s also a growing correlation (not cause, but still enough to warrant extra attention and care) between oral disease and [cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and low birth weight](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88948/). All of those conditions bring with them a substantially increased risk of death. > > It’s not that hard to imagine. You stop flossing and brushing. The build up of plaque - which is nothing more than a bacteriological biofilm - increases exposure to bacteria, and you develop a chronic case of periodontitis with inflamed, painful gums. Both the inflammatory cytokines and the bacteria from the infection make their way into your circulatory system. The cytokines increase inflammation in other parts of your body, especially the heart, and the bacteria lodge in places where the immune system has a difficult time finding and fighting them. If you’re diabetic, you less able to fight off infection. Same goes for pregnant women and people already coping with an overwhelming infection like pneumonia. My ex-roommate would usually wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, drink coffee and spend an hour or so doing other things before brushing his teeth just before leaving for work. AFAIK, he never brushed at night either. Swallowing all that bacteria first thing in the morning didn’t seem to damage his health. But then, he was very healthy and active. What kind of bacteria breed inside the mouth? It is inevitable that some of them get into the body when we swallow in our sleep, so maybe the body has learnt to deal with it over the eons. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086/40 "2014-05-26T04:42:30Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > The worst that could happen would be if you were suddenly discovered by a talent agent and put through a quick acting lesson of which you are surprisingly naturally gifted. You are immediately given a role in a large film production whose small but memorable part you own with grace and flawlessness. You are nominated for your role which is the magnum opus of a legendary director, who at his deathbed proclaimed your acting to be his finest he’s ever directed. At the Oscars, a mis-spiced fish meal renders the Queen woozy, who was making her first and last appearance at the event. During the presentation of your Oscar, she reaches in for a peck on the cheek, but a whiff of your rancid breath causes her to vomit over your dress. The slick mix of cod and stomach acids betrays the tape holding up your strapless dress and a billion people see you topless as you slip on the vomit and fall off stage, your flailing feet kicking the Queen in the head, killing her, as you tumble into the lethal arms of a performing bear hidden underneath the floor panel in preparation for the show’s next stage performance I applaud your imagination, well played. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-that-can-happen-if-you-never-brush-your-teeth/689086.md?page=3)