The Astonishing Connection Between Tooth Loss And Memory Loss

If you keep up with your dental appointments, you might hear on a regular basis some of the normal standard warnings from your dentist about the importance of keeping your oral health in the best possible shape. It's no secret or question in the minds of experts (or anyone, for that matter) that taking poor care of your teeth and gums can eventually lead to gum disease and tooth loss. In another medical spectrum, individuals suffering with memory retention as age wears on the body are struggling with a different kind of loss: the basic memories they have held dear throughout their lives. While these two kinds of loss may seem very unrelated, researchers have recently discovered an astonishing connection between the loss of teeth and the loss of memory. In other words, your dentist's annual pleas to take better care of your teeth may just have gotten more urgent:

Slowing Down Physically and Mentally

As researchers began to test the memory and physical walking speed of the elderly, a strange link began to emerge: those who had lost all of their own teeth were slower moving and had more trouble remembering things within the memory test than those who still had a full set of pearly whites. It's such a strange link that it seems like it may be a coincidence, but it's not-- in fact, the Center for Disease Control warns that half of American adults suffer from some form of gum disease, so it's an issue that should definitely be taken seriously. Experts discovered as a result of the research not only the link between the losses, but also gained a new-found knowledge that tooth loss could actually be a warning sign of declining health in older adults.

Declining Oral Health Impacts the Body

While the link between tooth and memory loss is a recent development, experts have been establishing links between oral health and the health of the entire body for years. In years past, researchers have been able to prove connections between oral health and osteoporosis, diabetes, heart diseases, and even premature birth. As scientists continue to find causes and solutions to the problems that plague humanity, one thing has been made clear time and time again: oral health matters, far more than many people previously thought it might.

While it's obvious that brushing and flossing are the primary key to stain free and healthy teeth, it's becoming clearer that oral health impacts the whole body. Brushing your teeth, visiting your dentist, and flossing on a daily schedule may seem tedious at times, but you're solidifying a healthy future every single time you pause to do so. Visit harborviewdentalak.com to learn more.