From Dental to Mental: Why Brushing Your Teeth Takes Care of Your Mind

Taking care of your oral health is great for boasting a pearly white smile and avoiding regular trips to the dentist, but regular brushing can also have benefits for your mental health as well as dental well-being. Listed here are 3 of the key ways in which maintaining high levels of oral hygiene can pose terrific benefits for your brain.

Memory & Cognitive Function

Gum disease—also called periodontal disease—can be hugely problematic for a variety of reasons, causing bad breath, bleeding from the mouth, and ulcers in patients who ignore the initial symptoms.

But recent studies have suggested that those who do not take good care of their gums may in fact be more liable to suffering from poor cognitive function, failing memory, and debilitating mental illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease. Another study conducted at the University of Queensland deduced that tooth loss was three times higher in people with serious mental illness—again indicating that the aspects of dental and mental health are linked. Take care of your teeth and gums, and keep your mind healthy as a result. 

Image & Self-confidence

Teeth can play a bigger role in your image than you might think. Indeed, great oral care can stretch into other areas of the body, such as your overall frame and weight. The last thing you want to do after brushing your teeth is chomp down on some sugary snacks, so by regularly keeping your mouth fresh and clean, you can stop yourself from snacking, stop piling on unnecessary pounds, and improve the look of your overall image as a result.

Noticeable, healthy weight loss is terrific for morale, and well help to boost serotonin levels as you feel good about yourself. It's not recommended that you brush heavily more than two or three times a day, but what you can do is swirl some toothpaste or mouthwash around in your mouth when you're tempted to gorge on some unhealthy snacks. The food cravings will soon fade after a fresh oral kick, and your mental confidence will skyrocket as a result as you shed some unwanted pounds.

Happiness & Fulfilment

Many people may admit to being a little self-conscious about the appearance of their teeth, but chances are they probably don't admit just how bothered they are by the look of their not-so-pearly whites. Teeth are the first thing that many people notice when meeting someone new for the first time, so it's vital to make sure that you keep them in the best shape that you possibly can. 

Whilst having healthy teeth and gums can improve your self-confidence, it can also help you achieve happiness and fulfilment in life. Studies and surveys questioning citizens about how the appearance of their teeth has affected their day-to-day routine have proven that poor oral hygiene can have a severely negative impact on lives.

Anyone who is self-conscious about their teeth might avoid smiling altogether, which in turn portrays them adversely as someone who is unfriendly. This may force other people to interact with them negatively, which can have detrimental effects on their mental health as a result. Ultimately, this can come to form a vicious circle.

The kind of stress, anxiety and depression that develop from poor oral health are all mental health issues that produce high levels of cortisol—a hormone which in high amounts may create further issues with your teeth and gums.

Take care of your mouth as best as you can, and avoid slipping into the damaging effects of poor dental health, and poor mental health. Learn more by consulting resources like Semaphore Dental.

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