Brushing Teeth for a Better Memory

A new study shows that there may be a link between the number of teeth a person has and memory skills. It is believed that people with fewer teeth have difficulty retaining information as well as performing basic motor skills. For this study, researchers studied 273 people over the age of 55, and they found a significant correlation between a person’s number of natural teeth and his or her performance on memory tests. Thus, an elderly person who has lost some or all of his or her teeth may be more prone to developing memory problems later in life.

The same study was conducted on animals that showed similar results. Animals that were missing teeth had difficulty performing basic motor skills and they had trouble learning afterward. Animals with fewer teeth showed higher neuronal loss and more damage to the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain involved in memory formation. Your teeth send signals to the brain and are essential to eat and chew properly, so if teeth are missing, it could prevent the proper signals from reaching the brain. Additionally, it is believed that people with fewer teeth are unable to eat certain foods that contain vital nutrients for the brain. So the lack of memory formation could be attributed to the patient being unable to eat the right foods.

Decades ago, it was expected that you would lose at least some of your teeth throughout your life, but today, dentists have the technology to prevent dental problems from occurring in the first place. And even if tooth decay or gum disease does develop, our West Hollywood dentist can utilize various treatments to stop your teeth from falling out.