As you age, protecting your health becomes vitally important for living a longer, more comfortable life. This often means making lifestyle changes that will better support your longevity, such as quitting smoking, exercising more, or even adding a multi-vitamin to your diet. But now, a recent study has found that protecting your oral health may be beneficial to your brain. Here’s why making this one crucial modification could help prevent dementia!
Alzheimer’s Disease & Oral Health
According to a study published in a recent issue of Neurology, researchers have found a link between Alzheimer’s disease and gum disease. It seems that patients who had mild gum disease and fewer teeth had a faster rate of brain shrinkage in their left hippocampus, and those with severe gum disease and more teeth did as well.
Upon further study, they also discovered that missing teeth as well as having more teeth that were not in good condition also caused faster brain shrinkage. In fact, the more teeth that were missing or damaged, the faster the patients’ brains aged!
So, what does this mean for those who are missing teeth or have damaged or decayed teeth? According to the study, replacing teeth that are lost or not fixable could be the key to both restoring oral health and protecting brain health.
Replacing Lost Teeth
Dental implants are natural looking, permanent restorations for missing permanent teeth. They look and feel just like “real” teeth, and because they are secured to your jaw, they not only provide greater biteforce than dentures, but they also help to better protect your jawbone from deterioration and your brain from shrinkage-related aging.
If you’re missing one or more teeth, or if you have damaged or decayed teeth that cannot be restored, speak to your dentist about the benefits of dental implants.
About Our Practice
At Marvel Dental, we want to help ensure that you have a “marvelous” smile you can be proud of! That’s why our team of skilled dentists works hard to ensure that we’ve done everything we can to help you protect your teeth and gums. If you have missing or damaged teeth that need restoration with the help of dental implants, please schedule an appointment to discuss your options today. Dental implants not only help you eat and speak better, but they also help protect your overall health and well-being, too.
To book your consultation, please visit our website or call us today at 817-933-3883.