The whole body functions depend on your brain’s well-being, and this intrigues researchers a lot, making them study it more to understand its complexities and what influences its wellness. In this context, one of the recent studies discovered that people prone to deteriorated oral health due to genetic reasons could also have weak brain health. Although the subject needs more analysis, it is worth exploring the connection between the two and overall well-being to feel responsible for your dental condition and stay fit.
What do the experts suggest?
Some signs of poor dental health are missing teeth, plaques, and gum disease. All these make a person extremely vulnerable to stroke. Interestingly, most previous studies focused on the link between heart disease and poor oral condition. But the new research discusses the impact of poor oral health on the brain to alert people that oral hygiene should become a priority. Scientists report that cavities and missing teeth problems due to genetic predisposition can cause brain-related disorders.
Research on 40 000 adults aged 57 on average in the UK’s biomedical database discovered that people with oral problems were more susceptible to damage to the white matter in the brain. While more such studies need to cover different populations to establish anything, the doctors and researchers opine that better oral health can significantly help people’s overall well-being. The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health’s (AAOSH) associate medical director Dr. Alan Reisinger also explained that oral health could put your entire body at risk. When your body combats the gum disease-causing bacteria, you face the issue of inflammation all over. Due to this, your chances of succumbing to complications like strokes, heart attacks, cancers, and dementia become high.
If you want to protect your teeth and overall health with your spouse, kids, and seniors in the family, look for help with dentistry in Woodbury to prevent the spread of bacteria and ensuing health challenges. Visit a clinic where the whole family can get treatment. It will benefit the existing members and those who will eventually become a part of your family tree. The medical history of everyone and their oral condition will help your dentist guide you all to thwart predisposition to any dental problem common to your genes.
How to keep chronic dental conditions at bay?
Usually, any oral health issue slowly develops before giving a full-blown impact due to deterioration caused by lack of care and treatment. The problem can be something as familiar as a biting issue. If you visit your dental clinic on time, the effect of the procedure can last 40 to 50 years. However, oral care is a two-step process – at-home and dental clinic.
With regular hygiene, you can reduce bacterial load. As general advice, daily brushing and flossing are crucial. Simultaneously, your scheduled appointments with the hygienist can help you get rid of hard bacteria that floss and a toothbrush cannot tackle. The expert needs to scrape them off to clean the surface. They can also show you how to keep your gums safe from plaque. So, watch everything that threatens your teeth’s well-being and act on it before the issue becomes bigger. In this, your food habit can play another critical role.
What to eat or avoid?
The pandemic has made people worry about gum bleeding, cavities, oral thrush, and other such challenges. Check your diet if you want to improve your dental hygiene to make up for missed dental clinic visits. Comfort food may not be suitable for your gums and teeth. Eat things that contain less sugar, acidic content, and carbohydrates. Anything rich in magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium can be best. For instance, consuming cheese and butter from cows grown on a forage-based diet can be healthy. These dairy items can have loads of vitamin K2, which keeps your teeth healthy. Other dietary sources for vitamin K2 can be eggs, chicken liver, beef, and more. Many such items also contain a good amount of nutrients like phosphorous that your teeth need.
Surprisingly, too many acidic foods may not be recommendable for your teeth, but fruits like oranges, grapes, and others can benefit when consumed in moderation. High vitamin C levels can build your connective tissues and blood vessels in the mouth. It can also check the growth of inflammation in the gums, a potential cause of gum disease. An old study in 2005 showed that the participants who ate grapefruit for two weeks saw improvement in their vitamin C level and bleeding gums.
Conversely, some healthy-sounding options can damage your teeth’ health. Think of a drink like kombucha, which is antioxidant-rich and has many healthy bacteria. While it may have all the goodness needed for your well-being, the problem is the ready-made drink contains too much sugar and no active bacteria. Consequently, it hampers your dental and overall fitness more. If you find a good option, it can be a different thing. Still, it’s necessary to clean your mouth with water and then brush after 45 minutes to stop the risk of an acid attack.
Another food you may want to avoid in your diet is dried fruit. Of course, everyone thinks these are healthy. But the problem is these lack water and mostly contain sticky caramel that your oral microbiome may enjoy. Low pH levels are one more issue. All these things can cause cavities. So, it is better to eat whole fruit than rely on these.
Your and your family’s dental health is in your hand. Focus on oral hygiene and lifestyle habits that promote gum and teeth health. At the same time, visit a family dental clinic where all of you (from kids to aged adults) can get checked and receive proper guidance. Having a family dentist can also make you less stressed in emergencies. You can speak to the doctor immediately for help, no matter who it is in the family. Nevertheless, you have seen what scientists and dental hygienists say about dental health, the brain, and other body parts. So, do be careful with your choices.
