Brush rush: the benefits of great dental hygiene
sarah coghlan '09 -- naked opinion editor

I am 21 years old, and I have never had a cavity. I truly pride myself on this fact. This is no coincidence; rather it is due to the fact that I routinely brush my teeth upwards of six times each day. I wish I was exaggerating. I brush when I wake up, after breakfast, midday, after dinner and before I go to bed. What started as good practice has transformed into a sick sort of obsession.

I just love the dentist. Every six months I anxiously await my appointment, wondering what the dental report card will look like this semester. So far I’ve always hung it on the fridge. I find pleasure in the invasive procedure—the painful scraping and flossing until I’m bleeding. Throw that bib around my neck any day; I’m always game for a good teeth cleaning.

I think I have such a strong affinity for oral hygiene because the mouth is an epicenter for germ festivity, and I have some what of a germ phobia. Germs and infections in the mouth spread elsewhere—poor oral health can lead to poor overall health. So much emphasis is put on diet and exercise, but dental hygiene is equally as important when it comes to keeping your heart healthy. Good oral health is a component of good overall health.

According to MSN Health and Fitness, gum disease is an infection in your mouth and some research has associated chronic gum disease with conditions including stroke, heart disease, and low birth weight in newborns. Spooky! Perhaps this should be the type of information included on the Crest label.

So, I brush my teeth…a lot. I brush so often and with such vigor, that I have been told by educated dental professionals that I am wearing away my gums. Who knew great dental hygiene could do such damage? Wanting to spare my gums, I had to turn to different alternatives to reach my usual level of dental prestige. This is when I discovered the art of flossing—and what a joy it has brought to my life.

I love flossing. It’s therapeutic, really, and truly a lost art. I am astounded by how few people I know are not routine flossers because next to brushing, flossing is the most important thing that you can do to ensure good oral health. And oral health really does reach far beyond the mouth.

The ultimate goal of both brushing and flossing is to reduce the number of bacteria which inhabit our mouths. Millions of microscopic monsters call your mouth home, feeding on food particles left on our teeth. This image is the reason behind my compulsion. I try to beat the battle against plaque and frankly, I think I am winning.
According to the American Dental Association, flossing removes the bacteria that escape the toothbrush by hiding in the tiny spaces in between teeth. Brushing without flossing is like washing only 65 percent of your body. The other 35 percent remains dirty! The American Dental Association recommends that you floss at least once a day.

No, of course I am not the type of person to shower without shampooing, rinsing and most likely repeating and thus it is only logical that I will be the type of working woman with a toothbrush in her purse. This may not be as glamorous as carrying a sleek pair of Nikes around for an afternoon jog, but the benefits are similar.