Not brushing teeth at night is the "culprit" of chronic pharyngitis

Brushing your teeth in the morning and evening can not only effectively prevent various oral problems, but also protect the gums and make the teeth cleaner and whiter. Regarding the benefits of brushing teeth, I believe that everyone already knows it, so I don’t need to introduce it in detail.

So, today we are going to talk about the disadvantages of not brushing your teeth. The first thing to do after getting up in the morning is to brush your teeth and wash your face, so the chances of not brushing your teeth in the morning are almost zero. However, there are many people who do not brush their teeth at night. Experts suggest that young people should pay attention to self-care in daily life, brush their teeth carefully in the morning and evening, and eat a light and easily digestible diet.

Mr. Zhang is engaged in IT sales. In order to complete sales tasks at the end of the year, he often works overtime until the early morning. After hurriedly eating instant noodles, he falls asleep due to fatigue. Mr. Li is engaged in public relations work in the company. At the end of the year, he has many dinner parties, and he accompanies clients to eat, drink, sing karaoke and play cards. He often plays until late at night and goes home drunk and falls asleep on the bed. In recent weeks, the two have continued to feel a foreign body sensation in their throats and feel like they have phlegm but cannot cough it out. After diagnosis at the hospital, both of them were found to be suffering from severe chronic pharyngitis, which was caused by not brushing their teeth at night, resulting in unclean oral cavity.

According to Wu Yongzheng, director of the Oral Health Department of Nanjing Maternal and Child Health Hospital, chronic pharyngitis refers to diffuse pharyngeal lesions caused by chronic infection, which mostly occurs in adults. The typical symptoms are a foreign body sensation in the throat, itching, slight pain, dryness and burning sensation, etc.; there is often a sticky secretion attached to the posterior wall of the throat that is not easy to remove, which can cause an irritating cough, or even nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, there are systemic or local symptoms such as hoarseness, sore throat, headache, dizziness, fatigue, indigestion, and low fever.

Why does not brushing teeth before going to bed at night lead to chronic pharyngitis? Director Wu said that winter is the peak season for chronic pharyngitis, and bad living habits can cause the onset of pharyngitis. Nowadays, many young people eat a lot of snacks and midnight snacks before going to bed, especially a lot of high-fat and high-salt foods such as barbecue, and they do not brush their teeth or rinse their mouths in time after meals. Over time, a lot of food residues remain on the teeth and mouth. This environment is prone to breed bacteria. When the bacteria grow to a certain range, the bacteria transfer to the throat and cause inflammation.

Director Wu suggested that we should pay attention to self-care in daily life: first, maintain appropriate indoor temperature and humidity, pay attention to air circulation, and breathe fresh air frequently. Dry indoor air and excessive cooling, heating or humidity can affect the defense function of the pharyngeal mucosa, causing functional disorders and abnormal sensation in the pharynx, which can eventually lead to chronic pharyngitis.

Secondly, brush your teeth carefully in the morning and evening, each time for about 3 minutes, so that the teeth are in an environment with a higher concentration of fluoride. It is best to brush your teeth once after each meal. If conditions do not permit, rinse your mouth with clean water. Rinse your mouth and brush your teeth in the morning, after meals and before going to bed to keep your mouth clean.

In addition, you should adjust your diet and eat light and easily digestible food, supplemented by some refreshing, heat-removing, tender and juicy foods.

Do you have the habit of going to bed without brushing your teeth at night? If so, change it as soon as possible. If you are plagued by chronic pharyngitis, it will be too late to change it.