What have my teeth got to do with my brain?!

When did you last go to the dentist?

I admit that visiting the dentist is not my favourite pastime and, as I child, my mum always booked our dental appointment on the Friday of half-term week. For me, the week was ruined by a week of worrying! But maintaining a healthy mouth and a full set of teeth is important for both brain and general health. And visiting the dentist is far better than it was 50 years ago.  

You may wonder why bleeding gums are so important. At one point, there was a regular advert running on TV alerting us to bleeding gums. 

Bleeding gums are linked to heart disease, chronic illness and dementia. 

Your mouth contains bacteria, another microbiome, which requires the correct environment for the mouth to remain healthy. If the balance of good and bad bacteria becomes out of balance, the overgrowth of bacteria and the production of endotoxins then start to affect your health via two routes. They can be swallowed and get into the gut, affecting the gut wall and causing leaky gut, an inflammation of the gut wall, which leads to a variety of chronic diseases throughout the body.  Or they and the toxins cause inflammation of the gums and bleeding, and then they enter the bloodstream via this route. Travelling through the bloodstream, bacteria and toxins cause inflammation by lodging in various parts of the body, including the blood vessels and brain, and the arteries in the neck, which can result in strokes. 

Bacteria and toxins in the brain trigger an inflammatory response, which causes the brain to lay down amyloid, a protein seen in Alzheimer’s and dementia.  P. gingivalis, the most common bacteria in the mouth of those with gum disease, has been found in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.  

But I hear you say that your gums don’t bleed, you have a full set of teeth and you have no pain. Chronic infection can go undetected for many years. Infections in the teeth don’t have to cause symptoms. You can have chronic, grumbling infections without knowing it. This chronic infection releases endotoxins which then circulate around the body, triggering a chronic reaction.   

Amalgam is another issue. These silver coloured fillings contain 50% mercury. When you chew, mercury vapour is released, which you either inhale or swallow. If mercury gets into the brain, it has a half-life of 20 to 30 years and again triggers an inflammatory reaction.  Most dentists nowadays don’t use amalgam. If you have a lot of silver-coloured fillings, you may want to consider having them removed, but this is not a simple process, and you need to see a specialist dentist who is aware of the risks. The removal of amalgam causes the release of fine particles which you may, again, inhale or swallow.  

What you can do to improve things.

There are so many simple things that you can do to improve the bacteria in your mouth. Taking enough exercise and getting enough sleep, as well as fresh air and sun, all help. Reducing stress also helps. But there are other things you can do.  

Oil pulling

This is an old technique originating from traditional Ayurvedic Medicine. It consists of swirling oil – olive oil or coconut oil- around the mouth for about 10 minutes. It’s supposed to clear the mouth of bacteria, and by swishing it around, it goes through all the gaps and crevices, clearing them. You must spit the contents into the food waste. You don’t want to be swallowing oil full of bacteria, which will then enter the gut!

Eat firm food

Make your jaw work when you eat by eating firm food. This pressure through the teeth prevents atrophy of the jaw and nasal passages. If the jaw and nasal passages get smaller, then mouth breathing, snoring and sleep apnoea occur, lowering oxygen levels of the brain during sleep and poor sleep quality. Mouth breathing also disrupts the mouth microbiome. 

Tongue scraping 

The tongue develops a layer of bacteria, which affects gum disease. Regular scraping, ideally, first thing in the morning after brushing your teeth, removes any excess bacteria and other particles. The other benefit to scraping is that it can improve your sense of taste!

Regularly floss

Flossing reaches areas of the teeth that a toothbrush can’t reach. It helps remove any food matter stuck between the teeth. It should be done before brushing. 

Fluoride

Lastly, avoid fluoride in toothpaste. Fluoride is a neurotoxin, and there is no safe exposure. Fluoride or fluorine is chemically made and has no biological function within the body; in other words, it’s a chemical we can survive without. 

And lastly, book that long-overdue dental check-up!

Dr Andrea Haas is passionate about helping people keep their minds sharp and their confidence high, at every stage of their life. With over 30 years as a medical doctor and training in the Bredesen Protocol for prevention and improvement of dementia, she combines medical insight with holistic therapies to create a bespoke journey to lasting cognitive health and improving confidence.

Book a free 20-minute call to find out how she may be able to help you.