I Brush Twice A Day, I Don't Have A Pain, And I Don't Like Dentist. What's Wrong With That?

The problem is that mindset will not protect your teeth at all. Compared to, let's say, in general medicine, you might have a better chance to pull it off if you are truly lucky. For example, "I eat and exercise. I don't have pain, and I don't want to get a physical checkup." I don't know any medical doctor who would recommend that. But you might be okay. Unfortunately, in dentistry, there is almost zero chance you will succeed with that plan.

What's wrong with brushing twice a day? It is like boasting that I work 40 hours a week and I am such a hard worker. Actually, brushing twice is what everyone does and there is nothing to brag about. The problem is not about brushing twice a day, but most people brush too quickly—like 55 seconds. But the brushing time has to be there for a FULL two minutes for fluoride (the real ingredient that prevents cavities) to work. Even in 500 B.C., evidence shows people brushed with toothpaste! It is about total brushing time per day rather than the scrubbing action.

A tooth is like a fine porcelain dinner plate rather than a cooking pot. There is not much to scrub. You don't need a hard brush at all. And the total time needed every day is to pass 4 minutes. So, most people are underbrushing and have a chance to get a cavity. The literal meaning of cavity is “hole.” A cavity is a hole in the tooth surface like a hole on the roof of your house.

What's wrong with "I don't have pain"? Tooth is like an apple. The hardest part is the outside/skin. It takes a very long time to break through the skin. Sometimes, I see that the germ/cavity takes 5–10 years to break through the outside part. But once the outside is broken, it is very fast for the germ to spread inside. Just like an apple has a soft inside and hollow core, the tooth is weaker inside, and once the germ goes hollow inside, it is the dreaded root canal time.

The problem is when the germ is on the skin, you are NOT supposed to feel or see anything. Once the germ goes past the skin, you will know pain or sensitivity. But often then the filling to fix it is not small but medium or large. Worse yet, if left alone (remember it is soft and doesn't take long to spread inside), it will get infected and you will know for sure. Sometimes, it only takes a few months to go to the hollow inside. In other words, from the pain you notice to root canal time is not that long.

So, the smaller the filling, the less likely you are to notice the problem yourself. That is why, for smaller fillings, you need more trust in your dentist. For larger fillings, you need less trust but more of the dentist's technique. Because when you notice pain, you know, I know, and the whole world knows there is a problem. You don't need a dentist to tell you that. The problem is that it is often too late.

J.F.K. said that the best time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining. The best time to fix cavities is when you don't have any pain whatsoever. As much as you don't like to go to the dentist, the consequence of not going is a disaster waiting to happen. You don't have an option. You MUST have a dentist to go to regularly.