Toobrushes and Penance: A Dental Hygienists View of Sin

This will probably seem a rather odd post, so I beg the readers’ courtesy. Being in dental hygiene, one can hardly help thinking about the mouth and the bacterial processes occurring within. And, being Catholic, one also thinks (or should think) about the condition of one’s soul and how best to better it. With these two subjects occupying my mind and different intervals, an unusual analogy began to form: venial sin can, in some ways, be likened to the bacteria in a person’s mouth!

Both bacteria and venial sins are small, but quick to multiply. One tiny bacterium, in the nourishing environment of the mouth, grows exponentially into many colonies in a short period of time. Similarly, one venial sin can lead to more and more sins as time goes on, especially if a person’s surroundings encourage it.

What can one do to help keep their souls out of sin? Go to Confession, of course! It is simple, but one must be sincere. In the Sacrament of Penance, Christ gives us his grace and wipes all our sins away, and the soul is very white and clean. It is just like when we brush our teeth with toothpaste to get rid of the bacteria that have been growing there. Now, everyone knows that one should brush one’s teeth twice a day and be very thorough about it to keep up our oral health. So also should we be with Confession—going often and being thorough. That way, one can continually increase in holiness!

Everyone is familiar with the consequences of neglecting to brush their teeth. The bacteria, fed by sugar from a person’s food, make acid, which builds up and creates cavities. Neglected cavities can soon become very painful infections that require root canals or even tooth extraction to remedy. Also, the bacteria can settle in the gum tissue, causing gingivitis and periodontitis. These latter diseases are more insidious, as no pain is felt and many people do not even realize they have them. They are also well known to cause bone and tooth loss. One can certainly imagine what happens to one’s soul in the case of neglect. The venial sins multiply and cause the soul to decay while it is still alive. Attachment to these sins can deform the soul so much that great measures must be taken over time to eradicate them. Sometimes, as in the case of a serious cavity, one knows that one has done wrong, is suffering from it, and knows that there is a problem that needs to be fixed. But what is more often the case is that one cannot see the effects of sin upon their soul, and thus never seek to treat it. This often happens with gingivitis and periodontitis, and they are the most widespread dental diseases. In these cases, the disease progresses unnoticed and the soul becomes more and more diseased until it is almost unrecognizable.

But—with God, all things are possible, so no matter how terrible a condition the soul is in, one good confession can heal it as good as new! Some effects of the sin will remain though, and because the soul has been compromised, one must do one’s best to keep from falling into sin again by changing their behavior. It is exactly the way, after a dentist fixes a cavity, that a tooth may continue to be sensitive for months afterwards, depending on how bad the cavity was. Or, after someone goes in for a deep cleaning, they must be very careful to change their habits to keep up their oral health. They may have to stop smoking, eat fewer sweets, etc.

And—since bacteria will continue to invade the mouth, one needs to keep up with brushing… and going to Confession!