Without them, easy activities from eating to talking to smiling for pictures would be near impossible. Teeth are incredibly important in our everyday lives, but are commonly forgotten about.  People must realize the importance of good oral hygiene and the impact it has on their lives.

Everyone knows dental health is important, but people rarely think of the consequences of bad teeth beyond cavities.  Losing money, having low self-confidence, and getting sick are all possible outcomes of poor oral hygiene.  Since teenagers are developing habits that will last the rest of their lives, practicing healthy dental routines is imperative to having a healthy mouth and life.

“I think dental health is important because a smile is the first thing someone sees about you,” Sarah Ludwigsen, junior, said. “Whether people want to admit or not, it is part of a first impression, and you always want to put your best foot forward.”

First impressions are extremely important, and a person’s dental health plays a huge role on his or her appearance. No one wants to smell what you had for dinner last night, and no one wants to see it either. The most obvious reason to take care of your teeth is to have a clean mouth, which can prevent various types of diseases and dental problems.

“Gum disease is a disease we don’t have a cure for,” Jeanette Villejo, dentist in Buffalo Grove, said. “All we can do is basically maintain it and not let it get worse. It can lead into health risks like heart problems or to something more serious that’s in the body, not just in the mouth. If you’re not brushing it obviously could lead to gum disease, bad breath, and losing your teeth early.”

Unfortunately, only 56.8 percent of women and 49 percent of men brush their teeth twice a day, according to StatisticBrain’s website.  People should be able to take four out of the 1440 minutes in a day to do something simple that is extremely beneficial to their health.

The habits teens develop set the path they will follow for the rest of their lives, from eating to smoking to exercising. They need to form strong dental habits now to insure safe oral health, and even high self-confidence, in the future. People with mouth problems, like crooked or unclean teeth, are more likely to be self-conscious and uncomfortable when talking to strangers, according to Absolute Health and Beauty’s website.

“I think since I’ve gotten all this dental work [two rounds of braces], my teeth are very important to me,” Ludwigsen said. “I’ve been through all this with them, so I want to keep them as clean as possible. When someone has pretty teeth, they just look so happy and they just smile so much more. I know I definitely smiled more after I got my braces off. Now, I’m super confident in [my teeth] and I want to show them off.”

Getting braces can help with both straightening teeth and making teeth easier to manage.  When teeth are straight, they become easier to clean, which prevents fillings and extra visits to the dentist, both of which cost money that most people do not have. Not taking care of your teeth will cost you money in the long run, especially if they fall out.

“Losing your teeth early can lead to not being able to chew your food as you get older,” Villejo said. “Obviously you’ll have the expense of having to replace them, like implants or a specific type of dentures. It leads to something more expensive and more work and could have just been prevented by taking care of your teeth or getting your regular checkups and cleanings. Get the treatment done while it’s small so it doesn’t get big.”