Why don't more people take care of their teeth?

Good Question!
One thing comes to mind, laziness. Which is a horrible excuse! Laziness shouldn’t be near personal hygiene concerns! But, it is what it is with some people.

its just not knowing. They are ignorant of the ways to keep their mouth health. and alot of people think flossing is time consuming and more difficult than it is, and they don’t know how to brush so that it’s most effective- yes there is ‘right’ way to brush

My dentist has scolded me for not flossing, but my teeth are so close together that I actually broke one trying to floss. I have lost count of the times I’ve gotten floss stuck between them. After the broken tooth episode, I no longer floss, but I do use a water pik and blast the daylights out of my teeth and gums. I have had so much trauma in the dentist’s chair, in some ways it seems like it would be easier and less traumatic to just get dentures.

What makes you think that most people don’t take care of their teeth?

@marinelife They asked why don’t “more” people, not “most” people. XD

As @Ayesha said, it’s partially laziness, but I think it’s also because of mints and mouth spray, etc. If people knew they’d have nasty breath if they didn’t brush their teeth, and had no other options to freshen their breath, they’d probably make sure they did it everyday. (Hopefully)

I think taking care of ones teeth is almost priority one. After all, you only have one set to last the rest of your life.

I also think that a person IQ has a lot to do with their teeth and its condition.

Unemployment and lack of dental insurance also plays a big part.

Our mouths are filthy. Brushing, flossing and antiseptic washes can’t remove all bacteria. Very soon after we brush and floss, the bacteria quickly reform plaque in our warm and wet mouths. Most people are busy and don’t have the time to brush and floss every hour on the hour 24–7-365. Therefore we do our best which is to brush and floss 2 to 3 times a day in a never ending losing battle with oral bacteria. In the end, the bacteria always wins.

We are all different. A friend of mine is a 50 year old women who claims that she “never flosses” and yet according to her, her dentist said that she has very healthy gums. I hear of other older folks who take very little care of their teeth and have never had a cavity.

I’m 60 and have been brushing and floss at least 3 times a day for decades and about every tooth in my mouth has e filing or a crown (and one tooth implant). My gums are good only because of the extra hard work that I have devoted to my mouth. I also use a sonicare tooth brush and two different types of anti bacterial mouth rinses. Most people are not willing to put in the effort and so the bacteria rage on inside of their mouths unchecked.

Because it takes time away from surfin’ the internetz.

I have two cavities.

The first one, I jokingly refer to as my Baby Cavity. I got this one shortly after we had our first child. She never took to a bottle and we also did co-sleeping. Meaning that I was pretty much on-call until she started eating solid food. I was exhausted all of the time. My teeth got a few cursory brushes. Nothing more.

The second one, I think of as my Miscarriage Cavity. After I miscarried, dental hygiene was the furthest thing on my mind. I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping. Heck, I was barely functioning like a human being. I couldn’t have cared less if all of my teeth had fallen out. In some twisted way, I might have even welcomed it.

You have to be in the right set of mind to give a shit about your teeth.

I have no idea. Laziness? How do people’s teeth get so yellow?

Please don’t assume the worst about people so much!

The dentist says my granddaughter has very acidic saliva. It does not matter how much she brushes, or what her parents do to protect her teeth, they rot because of the acidity of her saliva. Apparently it’s hereditary. She has caps on all her teeth now.

Teeth and aging are sneaky. For some of us, we have glowing dental reports in our childhood and teen years so we think what we’re doing as far as maintenance is good. Come the 20’s then many people go without dental insurance and don’t look into what it costs in cash to get cleanings and check ups twice a year. Insurance companies have so many people frightened to be without that they kind of give up even researching.

As I aged, I got cavities here and there but had no idea. I mostly had years of no insurance and didn’t prioritize to spend $50. twice a year for cash out of pocket cleaning. Nowadays I know I can get in my mailbox at least a few times a month a coupon for x-rays, exam and tooth cleaning to the tune of about $50. which is less than what my insurance covered dentist charges me after insurance has paid their part.

It’s just too easy to make excuses and we live in a fast-paced society which unbalances our priorities.

Apart from the obvious lack of proper care, I believe genetics play a role too. Some people have really strong teeth, others don’t.

Given how important our teeth are for general health, I wish my government placed more importance on ensuring people could access dental care. I am very lucky to have a great dentist. However, we have a quite significant shortage of dentists so it can be hard for people to get an appointment, even if it is an emergency situation. My dentist is not taking any more patients. So, easy and affordable access to dental care is also an issue here.

< is a dentist and an old one. It is very true that the water you grow up on determines the health of your teeth, so to speak, but the framework of those teeth are your gums, and the underlying ‘alveolar’ bone. This is why it is important to floss. @snowberry is right- acidic ph will give lots of tooth decay, where as a more alkaline ph will be more destined to bleeding gums and gingivitis. Also, alot of it it is heredity, I think. The best thing anyone can do is, brush (45 degree yes), floss, drink water. Don’t drink lots of carbonated soda it’s BAD

Yellow teeth are the new white.

Maybe they don’t have insurance and can’t see the dentist. Other people just don’t take the time or don’t realize how important it is. And a rare few are blessed with good genes and don’t require much maintenance for their teeth to look healthy. My SO never flosses and yet he has these perfect looking, pink, healthy gums, unlike a lot of us who have to work to get those good dental check-ups! It’s infuriating.