To gain some insight on this topic, we reached out to Dr. Mike Czubiak, a practicing general dentist in California and host of the Hygiene Superstar podcast. First, we wanted to hear what inspired him to start his podcast in the first place. "I started the podcast to educate dental hygienists and preventive dentists on the crucial rule that they play in the health of their patients," Dr. Mike told Bored Panda. "We have always done good, but we can do better."

We also asked him if he could remind our readers why dental hygiene is so important. "Dental hygiene is important because the bacteria that grow and mature in our mouths and the inflammation they cause are connected to cancer, heart disease and even COVID," he explained. "If your gums aren't healthy, you are 9x more apt to die from COVID."

We also asked Dr. Mike if he could note some of the dental hygiene practices that are often underrated or overlooked. "Flossing is pretty much a waste of time," he shared. Before you feel like you're off the hook, keep reading. "I have not found any research suggesting that flossing is effective. Interdental brushes like GUM soft picks and oral irrigators like Waterpiks are much more effective," Dr. Mike explained.

He also left readers with a task, "Go to Pubmed or Google scholar and search scholarly articles for periodontal disease and then name a disease. See how bodily diseases are connected to our mouth. Brushing your teeth is good, brushing up on knowledge is better!"

If you'd like to gain even more knowledge from Dr. Mike, be sure to check out the Hygiene Superstar podcast right here.

Most of us believe we have great personal hygiene. But beyond the absolute basics such as showering every day, washing your hands after using the bathroom and before eating, wearing deodorant daily, and brushing your teeth twice a day, some people have differing opinions on what else is necessary. For example, shoes on inside the home is not an issue at all to some people, while others would rather burn down their house than allow dirty shoes to enter their abode. Some people don’t see anything wrong with leaving their earrings in for months at a time, while others insist they have to be taken out and washed weekly.

We all know that personal hygiene is vital to our health, so we might as well learn a bit about how we can be even more thorough when taking care of ourselves. Especially during recent years, as we’ve been dealing with a global pandemic, it has become more important than ever to practice good hygiene. And according to Health Direct, personal hygiene can protect us from COVID-19 and other diseases, diarrhea and gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, staph infections, worm-related conditions, scabies, trachoma, athlete’s foot, tooth decay and more. That list sounds terrifying, so I don’t know about you, but I would rather spend a few extra minutes keeping myself clean every day than deal with any of those conditions.   

There are certain standards when it comes to personal hygiene habits. One that we all know is that we should be brushing our teeth for 2 minutes, at least twice a day. Now, where people’s opinions begin to differ is whether they should be brushing their teeth before or after breakfast in the morning. Some people argue that their teeth become dirty as soon as they eat, so it’s best to wait. But others believe that the morning brush is to clean our mouths from the hours of sleep we just had, so we should get right to it after waking up.

Here’s what dentists recommend: brush your teeth before breakfast. As Dr. Niall Sloan, of Sloan Dental in the UK, writes on his site, “Bacteria begin to metabolize sugars into acids almost instantly. Bacterial biofilms in your mouth have been maturing overnight in a reduced saliva environment gearing up for sugars in the morning. Clearing bacteria out before the introduction of food makes far more sense than brushing after they have already soaked up sugars to produce acids that cause cavities.” His sentiments are also echoed on Medical News Today and Medicine Net, so if you’re a post-breakfast brusher, I’m sorry to disappoint. It looks like we can all stand to learn a bit more about personal hygiene.  

Now, let’s talk about another controversial topic: showering every day. I have always been taught and assumed that a shower a day keeps the doctor away (or something like that). But according to Medical News Today, “From a strictly medical perspective, it is not necessary for most people to shower this frequently.” They explain that, “Showering cleans the skin and removes dead skin cells to help clear the pores and allow the skin cells to function. It washes away bacteria and other irritants that could cause rashes and other skin problems. However, the main reason why people shower as much as they do is that it helps them meet social standards of cleanliness and personal appearance. Meeting these standards helps people feel at home in their working and social environments and their bodies.”

So, of course, if you have been sweating during the day or have been exposed to unsanitary conditions, at work or otherwise, it is important to lather up. In the summer, when conditions are often more humid and warmer than the rest of the year, you might also need to shower more frequently. But if it’s a calm winter day with dry, cool weather, and you have not been particularly physically active, you might be able to skip showering. In fact, Medical News Today explains that showering can even become counterproductive if it’s done too often, to the point where skin becomes dry and damaged. It’s important to also remember that showering depletes resources, as it requires clean water and washes chemicals into our water sources, so it’s best to keep them as short as possible and to exercise discretion when taking them. It’s not worth the wasting of water if you have barely moved all day, and you could just wait until tomorrow to shower.  

Another place on the body that is unfortunately often neglected is our feet. If you’ve ever taken off your shoes and been slapped in the face by the stench, I’m sure you know that our feet are capable of harboring lots of bacteria. According to Dr. Robert K. Lee, chief of podiatric foot and ankle surgery at UCLA Medical Center, we should be actively scrubbing and exfoliating our feet to keep them from growing bacteria. And aside from the risk of missing out on a second date when a potential partner smells our feet from a mile away, we can eliminate certain health risks by keeping our feet clean as well. Ever heard of a little thing called a staph infection? If our feet are not kept squeaky clean, we are greatly increasing our risk for a nasty infection if we end up with an open wound, even a small one we may not notice at first glance.

Another reason we need to keep our foot hygiene in check is to avoid athlete’s foot. This is a common fungal infection that people often pick up by walking barefoot in moist, public places, such as locker rooms, as the name suggests. Although it can be acquired through simply walking through an area, athlete’s foot is certainly no walk in the park. It can cause many unpleasant symptoms such as itchiness, a scaly rash, flaky skin, cracking on the soles of the feet, and it can even spread to a person’s hands, nails and groin area via their hands or a towel. If you’re prone to having sweaty feet, be sure to wash them often and dry them well. This should help them not only smell better but also protect you from a nasty fungus or infection that you certainly won’t enjoy.  

In a perfect world, we would all be in peak personal hygiene condition at all times. But unfortunately, life just doesn’t work that way. And one thing that can often make it much harder for us to maintain personal hygiene is struggling with mental health issues. If a person can barely even get out of bed in the morning, it can be a lot to ask them to shower, brush their teeth multiple times, floss, moisturize, deodorize, wash and brush their hair, etc. Sometimes it can all just become too much. Thankfully, there are a few shortcuts that one can take that are not intended to be permanent solutions, but they might be able to get you through a particularly tough time without sacrificing your physical health. SOVA Pitt recommends that individuals who are struggling keep products like dry shampoo, deep conditioner, and baby wipes on hand to help them at least practice the bare minimum in staying clean.

When a full personal hygiene routine is just too much to handle due to depression or other mental health issues, it can be easier to take a bath instead of a shower. Getting to sit down and relax can be much easier than standing the entire time. Even a “sink bath”, or using a washcloth and some soap to scrub the “dirtiest” areas of your body can help. If brushing your teeth multiple times a day can’t be managed, be sure to have mouthwash and gum, mints or breath spray on hand. Deodorants and sprays can be useful as well, if you were not able to take a shower before heading out to work or school. SOVA Pitt also recommends purchasing a new hygiene product to give yourself motivation to lather up and try it out. If you have a new shampoo that is your favorite scent, you might be more inclined to wash your hair than you were when you knew exactly what to expect. 

I hope this list is inspiring you to wash between your toes, behind your ears and floss extra thoroughly today. Your doctors, dentists and loved ones will definitely appreciate it, as well as your future self. Keep upvoting the hygiene reminders that you find particularly important, and then let us know in the comments if you have any tips of your own that you'd like to share. Help your fellow pandas stay squeaky clean!