Lose your teeth, lose your mind | Hacker News Reader

Lose your teeth, lose your mind

physorg.com

23 pointsmikecane23 comments

Seems to me they likely have the causality reversed. As your mental acuity decreases, your ability to properly care for your teeth decreases. You forget to brush as often as you should, and so you lose more teeth. Also your brushing effectiveness could be reduced, as evaluating whether further brushing is necessary is not an entirely trivial task.

Probably not. I had gum disease and cavities when I was 20 after brushing everyday and using Listerine. Maybe I sucked at brushing and didn't know it, either way my brain got screwed.

Some people just have weak teeth.

You might also have a dietary problem -- or calcium deficiency.

There were no women in the study, which is interesting, because women often have huge teeth problems during and after pregnancy. (And breaking small bones!) This happens if their calcium is not managed effectively.

Clearly we need a test of female cognition during and after pregnancy.

I suspect you would find many women are mentally impaired during pregnancy, based on my anecdotal experience. The hormones screw up your brain.

But, of course, that's irrelevant, since the men who lost teeth in the OP's study weren't tested for cognition deficits the second they lost a teeth. It was an ex post facto observed link --- and they don't know why.

So my comment had lots of good sense in it, while yours had none.

Well is your brain fixed now? That's terrifying.

Best thing I've found for oral hygiene is a Water Pik. It will really flush out your gums. Use lukewarm water, tap cold is painful at least for me. You can put some mouthwash it it too if you like.

Since I've been using one my dentist has remarked on the noticeable improvement in my gum health.

EDIT: This is in addition to regular brushing of course.

I second this. I floss, but sometimes laziness wins and water pik works remarkably well, followed by brushing.

I second (third?) this. You can also use a ViaJet (some people prefer it).

You can use salt and/or baking soda as antibacterials in the water you use for irrigation.

If you add irrigation to your routine, you may want to switch out dental floss with dental tape and "buff" your teeth (floss:tape as thread:ribbon - buffing with a thread doesn't work too well). Makes a huge difference in the buildup of plaque.

Lastly, disclosing tablets or solution (picking one at random from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W6LW6I) is not just for kids. Using it for a few weeks or months could help you see where your tooth brushing technique is a bit weak.

I wonder if high sugar intake could be the common cause for both problems.

Or smoking cough.

Or class - which strongly correlates with diet and smoking along with education, mental stimulation through your occupation, medical care, etc.

The brain is fueled by glucose, so probably not.

Most of the sugar we ingest is not glucose. The sugars we eat get converted into glucose plus some nasty crap depending on what sugar is being converted, according to a video that was posted here a while back, but which I can't find right now...

Is it Sugar - The Bitter Truth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM ?

That's it, thanks.

Also, the body can convert both fats and proteins into glucose if I'm not mistaken ...

Funny how there are both essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, which means that humans can not survive without dietary protein and dietary fat. There is absolutely no physiological requirement to consume carbohydrates though. (I'm not trying to say one should not consume those at all, just noting the fact).

How is this anything more than a correlation? I saw nothing at all in support of a causal link.

Dr. Weston A. Price was a big advocate of teeth leading to other health problems long ago.

His book at PG-Australia is worth a look: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html

Excuse me, I have to go brush my teeth.

It could have something to do with bacteria. If you have poor dental hygiene or bleeding gums, you get bacteria in your blood. This is most known for causing endocarditis (infection of the heart), but who knows what else the bacteria, or the body's reaction to them, could cause?

Other things I've heard that can cause serious problems are root canals. Once done, they can be a breeding ground for bacteria. I think it depends a lot on how it's done.

Also, mercury-amalgam fillings might problematic if somehow they seep into the body. Or, when a tooth is lost, what gets put in its place?

when a tooth is lost, what gets put in its place

Gold or ceramic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_bridge

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