{"id":18224,"date":"2018-04-24T20:47:38","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T15:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/functionalnutritionlab.com\/blog\/?p=841"},"modified":"2025-08-28T15:05:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T15:05:05","slug":"does-brushing-your-teeth-really-matter-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fxnutrition.com\/blog\/does-brushing-your-teeth-really-matter-2","title":{"rendered":"does brushing your teeth really matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does brushing your teeth really matter?<\/p>\n

This may seem like a silly question, but bear with me\u2026<\/p>\n

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 a carwash that brushes, soaps, scrubs, sprays and rinses, my car better than I could ever do at home.<\/p>\n

And my car is quite happy with this arrangement. This monthly cleaning doesn\u2019t impact its function in the least!<\/p>\n

So, 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?<\/p>\n

You, of course, know the answer.<\/p>\n

Intensity vs Consistency<\/h2>\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.<\/p>\n

Your 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.)<\/p>\n

This daily upkeep vs. periodic tune-up is a distinction that the author, speaker, and marketing culture expert Simon Sinek calls Intensity vs Consistency.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love this distinction! And I think we should apply it to health and healthcare.<\/p>\n

Intensity is the machine-powered car wash. It\u2019s the deep cleaning at the dentist. It\u2019s the tune-up.<\/p>\n

As a culture, we love<\/em> Intensity. Once and done!<\/p>\n

Consistency, 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 your non-negotiables and making those routines as practiced as, well, brushing your teeth!<\/p>\n

Yet consistency isn\u2019t always fun. It isn\u2019t sexy. And it doesn\u2019t appear to have any effect\u2026at first.<\/p>\n

You 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.)<\/p>\n

But\u2026<\/p>\n

Consistency is a quiet hero<\/h3>\n

Consistency is the key to success in health and healing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consistency is actually one thing that can set you apart in the ever-growing and crowded field of practitioners who also work with diet and lifestyle modification in one way or another (even if not functionally.)<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the one (when you have the proper tools) who can deduce which changes need to be implemented with Consistency.<\/p>\n