The other day I was eating my breakfast and stumbled across an extremely interesting news story so I turned up the volume and zoned in. It was about the causes of dementia. Sadly, I’ve had a few people in my family suffer from dementia and it has been a terrible thing to watch them deal with. Now, this news report basically went on to share a theory that dementia can be linked to poor oral hygiene. The report continued to talk about how the mouth is home to hundreds of bacteria and that gum disease could be considered a link to dementia, causing infection to travel to the brain via the bloodstream. This seemed like a really interesting theory. I have since done more research and learned more about the topic. Given that dementia has a bit of a history in my family, I think I want to start taking more care of my oral hygiene. I haven’t been bad at brushing my teeth but I am guilty of sometimes brushing it in a rush or simply forgetting to do so from time to time.
I’ve been researching online the benefits of preventative dentistry and it’s great to know that it can help reduce the risk of getting gum disease, dental decay or any other oral health issues. I actually think preventative dentistry might be something worth looking into for the whole family. I think regular dental checkups may even help in the long run as the dentist will be able to detect and fix any cavities or oral health problems when they’re small, therefore preventing them from becoming bigger issues.
I’ve gone ahead and booked an appointment for myself at the dentist. Cheltenham isn’t exactly the busiest suburb in Melbourne so it wasn’t that hard to get an appointment, but this dentist does seem to have great reviews. I remember six months ago I was feeling pain in my back teeth but eventually the pain died down. I’m curious to know what that pain was. I guess I will find out now.