Take Care of Your Gums to Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s

Our bodies have innate safeguards to protect our system from problematic microbes. These safeguards have the ability to recognize friend or foe and selectively keep out the foes. They also let in the friends, such as nutrients and beneficial bacteria. This is known as selectively permeable.

This selective permeability relies on us to provide the basic materials in order to continually rebuild and strengthen our safeguards. If we don’t do this, the safeguards lose their structural integrity and can become more leaky, which is where we get the term leaky gut.

Leaky gut, leaky skin, leaky blood brain barrier, and leaky gums all present health risks. Visiting your dentist regularly, cleaning your teeth, and maintaining good dental hygiene is crucial to keeping the safeguards present in your mouth in working order. Poor dental hygiene promotes systemic inflammation, risking barrier breaches and promotes systemic inflammation in the body.

Our mouths have a host of bacteria that can cause damage if allowed to enter our systems. One of these bacteria is P. gingivalis, which we know is the bacteria involved in gingivitis. It has been found to cause inflammation in the brain. Inflammation within the brain is a causative factor in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Not only is this and other bacteria harmful for the brain, they are also associated with higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Indeed, poor oral hygiene may lead to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.