Even if you lie about flossing, consume a steady diet of sugar, and haven't been to the dentist in years, the very least you can do for your mouth is brush your teeth twice a day. Regular brushing is a basic hygiene practice that's observed across the globe, but just how necessary is it to human survival? In their new video, Life Noggin explains why the benefits of brushing extend beyond your pearly whites.

If you stopped brushing your teeth, all the bacteria and bits of food normally cleared out by your twice-daily cleanings would thrive unchecked. Cavities would start to form, your gums would become inflamed, and your breath would reach room-clearing levels of stench. But the sorry state of your mouth would be just a fraction of the problem. With the opening acting as a haven for germs, harmful bacteria like MRSA and Staphylococcus aureus would have a greater likelihood of surviving there long enough to enter your bloodstream. A dirty mouth can also nourish the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bug that causes an advanced stage of gingivitis that may lead plaque to build up inside the arteries if it enters the heart. So when your dentist harps on you about brushing regularly, they're not being overly dramatic.

With the potential to prevent life-threatening conditions, you may wonder how the rest of the animal kingdom gets along without oral hygiene. While some creatures have developed teeth that replace themselves quickly or teeth that resist erosion, others make their own toothbrushes. Elephants, for example, wipe bacteria off their tusks whenever they scrape bark from a tree or dig a hole. Humans in ancient times used a similar method: Before the first toothbrush was invented, they would chew on bark and scrub their teeth with the tattered ends to get that refreshing clean feeling.

Check out the full story from Life Noggin in the video below.

[h/t Life Noggin]