Does brushing your teeth really matter?
\nThis may seem like a silly question, but bear with me\u2026
\nI don\u2019t wash my car every day. (In fact, it\u2019s been looking a bit grimy these days, as I navigate all the leaves, pollen and mud of the season.) But once a month, I aim to drive through a carwash that brushes, soaps, scrubs, sprays, and rinses my car better than I could ever do at home.
\nAnd my car is quite happy with this arrangement. This monthly cleaning doesn\u2019t impact its function in the least!
\nSo, why can\u2019t I do the same with my teeth? Why can\u2019t I go to the dentist the recommended frequency of once every six months, and have them deep clean my teeth without having to do the boring, monotonous work of using a toothbrush twice (or more) a day?
\nYou, of course, know the answer.<\/p>\n
If you only went to the dentist, and didn\u2019t care for your teeth at home, you would soon have a jar<\/em> of teeth instead of a mouthful<\/em> of teeth. Consistency is your key to success in health and healing.<\/strong> Does brushing your teeth really matter? This may seem like a silly question, but bear with me\u2026 I don\u2019t wash my car every day. (In fact, it\u2019s been looking a bit grimy these days, as I navigate all the leaves, pollen and mud of the season.) But once a month, I aim to drive through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[176,193],"class_list":["post-17392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-body-systems","tag-environmental-inputs","tag-structural-integrity"],"_yoast_wpseo_sitemap-include":null,"_yoast_wpseo_canonical":null,"_yoast_wpseo_redirect":null,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":null,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":null,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"[]","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":null,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":null,"_yoast_wpseo_title":"does brushing your teeth really matter? | Functional Nutrition Lab","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"This daily upkeep vs. periodic tune-up is a distinction that the author, speaker, and marketing culture expert Simon Sinek calls Intensity vs Consistency. Intensity is the deep cleaning at the dentist. It\u2019s the tune-up. As a culture, we love Intensity. Onc","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"brushing teeth","yoast_head":"\n
\nYour teeth need to be effective to do the work (dicing and chewing) that your digestion requires of them. But they don\u2019t impact digestion alone! Teeth exist in an environment that benefits the rest of your body when properly cared for (something called the oral-systemic connection.)
\nThis daily upkeep vs. periodic tune-up is a distinction that the author, speaker, and marketing culture expert Simon Sinek calls Intensity vs Consistency.<\/strong>
\nI love this distinction! And I think we should apply it to all<\/em> health and healthcare.
\nIntensity is the machine-powered car wash. It\u2019s the deep cleaning at the dentist. It\u2019s the tune-up.
\nAs a culture, we love<\/em> Intensity. Once and done!
\nConsistency, on the other hand, is daily brushing. It\u2019s also sleep, exercise, relaxation, connection, and of course, diet. Consistency is tracking your trends and habits to see what\u2019s working for you and what\u2019s not. Consistency is identifying the foods and activities that are a must<\/em> for your health and happiness and making those routines as practiced as, well, brushing your teeth!
\nYet consistency isn\u2019t always fun. It isn\u2019t sexy. And it doesn\u2019t appear to have any effect\u2026at first.
\nYou don\u2019t get six-pack abs after one workout, and you don\u2019t say goodbye to your irritable bowel disease after eliminating sugar for one day, or even one month (and oftentimes, eliminating one thing, like sugar, even if you do it completely, won\u2019t have the desired effect all on its own, without any other changes.)
\nBut\u2026<\/p>\nConsistency is a quiet hero<\/h3>\n
\nAnd it\u2019s so quiet, you could miss it if you weren\u2019t paying attention.
\nConsistency is going to bed at the time you\u2019ve determined works for your body every night<\/em>.
\nConsistency is eating fat, fiber and protein at every meal.<\/em>
\nConsistency is really eliminating<\/em> refined sugar.
\nConsistency is taking small, manageable steps each day, knowing that (sometimes invisibly) you\u2019re taking back control of your health.
\nRemember, you\u2019re the one<\/em> who brushes your teeth.<\/strong> You\u2019re the one who takes yourself on a walk. And you\u2019re the one who makes ALL the diet and lifestyle changes that your Functional Nutrition practitioner recommends.
\nYOU are the hero, and consistency is one of your superpowers!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"