Tartar-Plaque Toxins Cause Gum Inflammation… Bacteria Infiltrate the Brain, Increases the Risk of Dementia
You need to brush your teeth thoroughly using the ‘gum brushing method’
Place the tip of the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gum line… Brush your teeth by sweeping from the gums toward the teeth.
Dementia is an acquired multiple disorder that causes impairment in daily life due to a decline in memory, language ability, judgment, and executive function caused by degenerative brain disease or cerebrovascular disease.
According to the ‘2023 Dementia Status in Korea’ report published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, one in ten elderly people suffers from dementia. It is projected that the number of dementia patients will reach 3.14 million by 2050.
Oral care is essential to prevent dementia
There are various factors that cause dementia, and gum disease is one of them. In order to prevent dementia, you must also take good care of your oral health.
A 26-year follow-up study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States on approximately 6,000 Americans found that people with gum disease had a 22% higher risk of developing dementia than those without.
If gum disease is left untreated, inflammatory factors and bacteria in the mouth can spread throughout the body through the bloodstream or nerves. If bacteria enter the brain during this process, the risk of dementia increases.
Gum disease is a disease in which inflammation occurs in the gums or gum bones around the teeth, and dental plaque and tartar are the main causes.
When you eat food, bacteria stick to the surface of your teeth and create plaque. If you don’t remove it properly, it will lead to tartar.
If this plaque and tartar are not removed, the number of bacteria increases and the bacteria release toxins, causing inflammation in the gums.
It is a good idea to visit the dentist regularly and get your teeth scaled, but it is also advisable to remove plaque before it develops into tartar through proper brushing habits.
Plaque that causes gum disease mainly remains between teeth (between teeth) and gumline (the border between teeth and gums). Therefore, it is important to brush your teeth focusing on between teeth and gumline.
The Korean Oral Health Association recommends the ‘Standard Gum Brushing Method (Modified Bass Method)’ as an effective brushing method for preventing gum disease. The correct way to brush your gums is to hold the toothbrush lightly like a pencil and place the tip of the toothbrush bristles at a 45-degree angle against the gum line. Then, gently vibrate the toothbrush 5 to 10 times and brush your teeth in a sweeping motion from the gums to the teeth.
Within 1 minute after meals, 2 minutes or more, 3 times a day or more
In order to see the effect of gum disease prevention through gum brushing, you must remove plaque with appropriate force while applying gentle vibrations.
Elderly people, patients, and others who have difficulty controlling their teeth may find it difficult to brush their teeth using a manual toothbrush while applying gentle vibrations with appropriate force.
In times like these, using a sonic toothbrush is also a good idea. With a sonic toothbrush, you don’t have to exert any effort; just hold it still and the sonic vibrations create tiny air bubbles that gently clean between your teeth and in the corners of your gums where the toothbrush bristles can’t reach.
Depending on your usual eating habits, brushing your teeth three times a day may or may not be enough. If you eat all three meals a day, brushing your teeth three times a day is the basic rule: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Regardless of the time, it is best to brush your teeth thoroughly within one minute after eating, but at least two minutes.
Park Yong-deok, the president of the Korean Oral Health Association, said, “It was revealed that approximately 18.8 million people received treatment for gum disease last year,” and added, “This is a very worrisome situation because gum disease can affect not only oral problems but also overall health.”
Reporter Park Ji-hye [email protected]
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2024-09-24 21:52:21