Hey. My friends call me Strep.

大家好，大家叫我「小鏈」。

He's a bacterium and a bit of a slob.

它其實是細菌人，有一點拉遢。

But this isn't just any mess.

但這不只是一團亂。

It's what's on your teeth.

而是正發生在你牙齒中。

You see, strep and all his roommates live inside your mouth.

你看看，小鏈和他室友共處在你的嘴內。

Feeding off of the sugar and protein in your food.

透過你攝食的糖和蛋白質維生。

When they're done, they excrete a slimy substance all over your pearly whites.

當他們祭完五臟廟後，會在你珍珠般的白齒上留下黏黏的物質。

The end result is a bacteria ridden pigsty called biofilm.

最後「勾勾纏」的細菌，大名叫做「生物膜」。

Now, a little biofilm isn't gonna hurt you.

一丁點的生物膜沒有大礙。

It's only when you stop brushing it away that things can get ugly.

但當你不把它們刷走，事情就大條了。

And not only for your teeth.

不只是牙齒自家的事。

It just so happens that strep and his friends are a downright threat to your life.

小鏈和它朋友對你的威脅可大了。

Nearly half of Americans don't brush their teeth enough.

近乎一半以上的美國人，刷牙刷得不夠。

And when food builds up in those nooks and crannies, you're inviting a host of bacteria to the party.

當食物殘渣殘留在齒縫與角落時，代表你正歡迎細菌們參加派對了。

Including your gum line.

還有你的牙齦。

Which irritate and inflame your gums causing tenderness and bleeding.

讓你的牙齦發炎，牙齦軟化流血。

But that's just the start.

但這只是開始。

Soon enough, that infection will trigger your immune system which sends fighter cells to battle the bacteria.

很快地，感染開始觸動免疫系統，白血球和細菌大戰。

This creates a hostile environment for the bacteria.

這樣的環境開始和細菌樹敵。

Which is what you want but it can also damage the cells in nearby tissue and bone.

好是好，但會傷害組織和齒骼附近的細胞。

Six months to years later that tissue and bone will eventually die.

六個月到幾年後，組織和齒骼會壞死。

At this point, you don't have gingivitis anymore.

在這時，齒齦炎已經是過去式了。

You have something much worse: periodontal disease.

更糟的來了 :牙周病。

No more tissue and bone means no more structural support.

沒有組織和骨骼，等於沒有支撐。

So, your gums separate from your teeth forming pockets that quickly become extra space for strep and his friends.

你的牙齦與牙齒分離，為小鏈和他的朋友帶來額外的空間。

Which further infects your gums causing your teeth to fall out.

這會進一步感染牙齦，導致牙齒脫落。

Now, you may think this could never happen to you but about 10% of Americans between ages 50-64 have lost not one, not two, but all of their teeth.

你可能會覺得這不會發生在你身上，但是大約 10% 的 50-64 歲美國人曾經掉過不只一顆，也不只兩顆，而是全部的牙齒。

And to make matters worse, strep and his buddies may enter your bloodstream where they'll wreak havoc on your organs, too.

更糟的是，小鏈和他的夥伴們可能會進入血液中，這也會對器官造成嚴重損害。

For example, in one study, people with periodontal disease were four and a half times more likely to have chronic kidney disease than people with healthy gums.

舉例來說，一項研究指出，牙周病患者罹患慢性腎臟疾病的可能性是健康牙齦患者的四倍半。

And another study found that people in a retirement community who didn't brush their teeth daily had up to 65% greater risk of dementia.

另一項研究發現，退休人口中，每天不刷牙的人患癡呆症的風險增加了多達 65％。

Last but not least, there's an increased risk of developing certain cancers.

最糟的還沒完，就是罹患特定癌症的風險也會增加。

To be fair, these risks can also be the result of poor hygiene in general but the message remains clear.

公平地說，這些風險通常也可能是衛生條件差造成的，但我想傳達的應該夠明確了吧。

Brush your teeth.

就是刷你的牙。

It's worth the extra four minutes a day.

絕對值得你每天多花 4 分鐘。