Brush yo’ teeth!

Clint, my other half, recently started a pharmaceutical job and while in a doctor’s office saw a bit on the TV in the office about runners having bad teeth. So, of course, he came home and told me about it. He told me about it because while I have good hygiene overall I have a bad habit of going to bed without brushing my teeth. He hates this. I’m tired, I get in bed and that’s it…I’m out. And we have a tiny bathroom which makes it hard for two people to share the sink at the same time (yeah, yeah…excuses!). He, on the other hand, is super OCD and does not ever forget to brush his teeth at night. He made a big deal about this topic, and it actually kind of freaked me out a little.

imagesWell, I did a little research. If you are an avid runner, just brushing your teeth in the morning and at night is not going to cut it. It’s actually very interesting and makes a lot of sense. You may want to consider brushing more often if you run a lot, eat carbs a lot, use sports drinks a lot, and eat those “Gu” type gels a lot.

Here are a few articles with more detail:

http://www.nelsondentalgroup.com/are-marathon-runners-doomed-to-have-bad-teeth/

http://completerunning.com/archives/2007/04/26/can-running-ruin-your-teeth/

http://sechicagodentistry.com/archives/why-athletes-have-poor-dental-health-and-other-dentistry-news

Now, get to the dentist!