Don’t need answer fast. Let’s assume today I stop brushing my teeth. I do drink water with fluoride a few time a day, but that’s all. What would happen?
I am not doing this in real life. I fell asleep last night before brushing my teeth and felt disgusting this morning.
Um… I can speak from experience that crud builds up, and you need to scrape it off with a fingernail. But, no, it doesn’t necessarily result in cavities or gum disease. Fluoridated water helps prevent decay, but, of course, isn’t a sure-fire cure.
You’ll get visible plaque build-up and underneath this a visible and thick layer of tartar. Your gums will begin to redden and swell, and become more prone to bleeding whenever you eat, especially “hard” foods like apples. This blood can sometimes soak into the plaque build-up and dye it a pinkish color. On occasions where chunks of food become caught in your teeth, they’ll slowly decay/rot and this can sometimes lead to especially foul odors and tastes. You’ll have constant bad breath. Within a couple of weeks I think people who see your teeth will notice you’re not brushing them.
Your gums will be sensitive and you may experience extended periods of discomfort or even pain in certain areas of your mouth. If you’re unlucky these may deteriorate into outright infections which need medical intervention.
I don’t know if it would happen in a year’s time but this can accelerate permanent decay at the base of your teeth where they meet the gum line. If you were to resume recommended oral hygiene, it might be about a month or so before your gum health returns to “normal,” depending on how long you chose not to brush your teeth.
From a biography of Mao Zedong by his physician:
A tiger doesn’t kill 30 to 80 million of his own people, either.
There are people in my family who have great teeth. They don’t get cavities, their teeth are white, and they are straight. One of my cousins went on a three-week camping trip, no toothbrush, no problem. Another one just didn’t like brushing his teeth, so he didn’t, unless he had a date. Again, no problem.
Me, I did not get those teeth. I don’t particularly like brushing my teeth (love my Waterpic though) but I really hate when I don’t brush them because they feel icky. I assume if I didn’t brush them for a year by the end of that year they’d be gone or rotten.
I knew some kids my age who never brushed their teeth. My brother was one of them. We had to hold him down occasionally and scrub his teeth. Just for hygienes sake. That and, Daddy made us.
He has perfect teeth now. Never had a problem other than wisdom teeth.
Some folks are just lucky, I guess.
Here’s a primer. Periodontal disease - Wikipedia
Unless you’re real fortunate it won’t take even a year to get it going like a house afire.
A tiger doesn’t eat sugary products! The sugars combine with bacteria to produce acids which lead to erosion.
The oldest tiger in captivity lived 26 years. Their lifespan in the wild is 10-15 years. Human teeth need to last a little longer.
Suffice to say the Great Helmsman’s strengths were not in modern dentistry.