Oral Health and Dementia
                     Oral Health and 
Dementia
How Regular Dental Visits 
Can Help Reduce Your Risk 
Over  tthe  ollafstt   Mdeceamde,,o  nerwy   reDseiasrceha  hsase  ssurffaced  tthatt  
has  iindiicatted  sometthiing  tthatt  denttiistts  have  llong  been  
sayiing::  tthere  iis  a  lliink  bettween  how  wellll  you  ttake  care  
off  your  tteetth  and  gums  and  your  overallll  healltth..  Butt  
whiille  tthiis  iinfformattiion  has  been  known  ffor  some  ttiime,,   mDor..r  ePa  rrellecey  nHtt  ufifibnllderiin,,  gJJrs..
 
    opffo  Liinuttc  ttaos    ttFhaem  riiellyd  uDcettniiottniis  ttiinry  tt  ahger  reiies   
off  mtt
sk 
heamtt,,  o“rttyh  ecroen’’sd  iiattii  orenasll,,    bsuecnhe  fifiatts  tt  Do  ettamkeiinngttii  ac,,a  iirne    poaff  ryttoi url  . t t icular. teeth  ffor  tthe  llong--tterm  bettttermentt  off  your  healltth..  We  
wantt  pattiientts  tto  know  tthatt  we  ttake  greatt  care  iin  
hellpiing  to  reduce  the  onset  off  gum  diisease  and  are  
quiick  tto  ttreatt  iitt  whenever  iitt  appears  tto  hellp  keep  
pattiientts’’  overallll  healltth  iinttactt..”  
Severall  sttudiies  have  poiintted  tto  tthe  connecttiion  
bettween  lliingeriingbactteriia  iin  tthe  moutth  and  gums  tthatt  
can  ttravell  tthrough  tthe  blloodsttreamand  iintto  tthe  braiin..  
“There  have  been  fifindiings  tthatt  suggestt  as  many  as  4iin  
10  pattiientts  wiitth  diiagnosed  Dementtiia  allso  have  a  gum  
IItt’’s  ffoubnadc  ttiienr  iittah  ec  abllllreadiin  P  aottr  ptthey  rttoiimeo  noaff  stt  egsiinttiigniigv..a”ll  iiTsh....e  re  iis  
sttiillll  so  much  tthatt  iis  unknown  aboutt  tthe  cause  off  
Allzheiimer’’s  Diisease  and  Dementtiia,,  butt  one  tthiing  iis  
ffor  sure,,  iitt’’s  jjustt  one  more  tthiing  tto  educatte  pattiientts  
aboutt  tto  hellp  tthem  sttay  as  healltthy  as  possiiblle
Research Suggest Good 
POarttriicaullla rH  beacattelrtiiah,,  ll iikCe  otthuattl  ffdou nImd  iinp  tthreo  bvraeiin   
samplles  where  Dementtiia  was  allso  presentt  may  be  
lliinked  to  other  Oiissvuesr  sauclhl  aHs  iiemamlutnhe  responses  and  
nerve  cellll  deatth..  “Thiis  iis  exttreme,,  butt  iitt  driives  home  
tthe  poiintt  off  how  iimporttantt  iitt  iis  ffor  pattiientts  tto  ttake  
care  off  ttheiir  tteetth..  IItt’’s  sometthiing  tthatt  conttiinues  tto  be  
ttaken  ffor  grantted  and  as  denttall  proffessiionalls,,  we  offffer  
a  reall  chance  off  conttriibuttiing  tto  tthe  overallll  
iimprovementt  and  susttaiinabiilliitty  off  a  pattiientt’’s  generall  
healltth,,”  says  Dr..  Hubller..
Many  peoplle  tthiink  tthatt  healltth  iis  driiven  by  eattiing  riightt  
and  exerciisiing,,  gettttiing  enough  slleep  and  avoiidiing  
sttressffull  siittuattiions,,  butt  tthere  iis  much  tto  be  saiid  aboutt  
iincreasiing  viisiitts  tto  tthe  denttall  offiffice,,  regullar  clleaniings,,  
and  off  course,,  brushiing  and  flflossiing..  Dr..  Hubller  goes  
on  tto  say,,    “pattiientts  may  ffeell  slliighttlly  embarrassed  
when  they  are  asked  about  theiir  brushiing  habiits,,  but  
we  don’’tt  ask  tthem  tto  shame  tthem..
We  ask  tthem  so  we  can  gett  an  accuratte  
representtattiion  off  ttheiir  orall  healltth..”  Faiilliing  memory  
does  nott  have  tto  be  a  partt  off  olld--age,,  yett  younger  and  
younger  pattiientts  are  experiienciing  iissues  wiitth  
memory  lloss,,  Allzheiimer’’s  diisease  and  Dementtiia..  IIff  
brushiing  your  tteetth  regullarlly  iis  a  siimplle  tthiing  tthatt  
can  reduce  tthe  riisk  off  devellopiing  tthese  condiittiions,,  iitt  
onlly  makes  sense  tto  iimpllementt  tthatt  siimplle  sttep..
However,,  despiitte  repeatted  conversattiions  and  
diiscussiions  aboutt  how  tto  care  ffor  our  tteetth  and  
bodiies,,  peoplle  have  allll  kiinds  off  reasons  ffor  nott  ttakiing  
ttheiir  healltth  and  wellllness  seriiouslly..  “IItt’’s  jjustt  human  
nature  to  thiink  these  thiings  won’’t  happen  to  us..  When  
you  are  ttallkiing  aboutt  sometthiing  lliike  Dementtiia,,  mostt  
peoplle  tthiink  tthatt  iitt’’s  sometthiing  tthey  need  tto  worry  
aboutt  when  tthey  are  ollder,,  butt  now  iis  tthe  ttiime  tto  ttake  
acttiion  tto  preventt  iitt  ffrom  occurriing  iin  tthe  fifirstt  pllace..”  
Allllen  denttiistt,,  Dr..  Hubller,,  JJr..  ttakes  tthe  ttiime  tto  expllaiin  
and  remiind  hiis  pattiientts,,  especiialllly  adulltt  pattiientts,,  tthatt  
tthere’’s  onlly  one  sett  off  tteetth  tthatt  need  tto  be  ttaken  
care  off  and  iitt  shoulldn’’tt  ttake  a  backseatt  iin  tthe  overallll  
approach  tto  healltth..
FrequDenett  nviistiittas  ltt oP  tthreo  dfeenttsiisstt  dioonn’’tt  ajjulsstt  h eCllpa  ttno  k eep  
your  tt tBeee th
 
a c
l
 lean.
.  These  viisiitts  proviide  iimporttantt  
iinfformattiion  tto  dPeanttrallt  p rooffe sYsiioonuallrs   aHboeutta  ylotuhr  o verallll  
healltth  aMnda  tthneay  gproevmiidee  ann  otp pToerttaunmiitty  ffor  ffullll  
examiinattiions,,  x--rays,,  and  assessmentts  tto  dettermiine  
gum  healltth  changes  tthatt  may  iimpactt  your  healltth  llatter  
on..  “The  ttechnollogy  we  use  ttoday  allllows  us  tto  creatte  
diigiittall  piicttures  off  whatt  someone’’s  moutth  and  gums  
wiillll  llook  lliike  years  ffrom  now  iiff  probllems  aren’’tt  sollved,,  
and  we  can  use  tthatt  iinfformattiion  tto  hellp  dettermiine  
how  tto  preventt  and  ttreatt  tthose  iissues  beffore  tthey  
become  worse..”
Riightt  now,,  much  off  tthe  healltth  iinfformattiion  peoplle  
have  iis  deriived  ffrom  a  viisiitt  tto  ttheiir  ffamiilly  docttor,,  
healltth  speciialliistt,,  or  emergency  room..  Pattiientts  don’’tt  
tthiink  tto  tturn  tto  ttheiir  denttall  proffessiionalls  tto  gaiin  
iinsiightt  iintto  ttheiir  healltth,,  butt  tthere’’s  a  reason  why  
expecttantt  motthers  are  refferred  tto  denttiistts  duriing  
pregnancy::  “we  know  tthatt  iissues  iin  tthe  gums  and  
moutth  can  ttravell  tthrough  tthe  blloodsttream  and  iimpactt  
tthe  baby’’s  healltth..  Pregnantt  women  are  encouraged  tto  
see  a  denttiistt  earlly  on  tto  dettermiine  tthe  sttatte  off  ttheiir  
orall  healltth  and  tto  preventt  iissues  ffrom  ariisiing  duriing  
tthe  pregnancy,,”  remiinds  Dr..  Hubller..
More Research Could Shed 
Whiille  m  f t i  Liugchh otf  wohant  isO kpnopwon 
 aboutt  Allzheiimer’’s  diisease  
and  Dementtiia  beffalllls  mediicallr  dtoucttnorist  aineds  re sfeoarrc hers,,  
denttPall  rperovffeessniiontaillos  anre a  jjunsttd  stt aTrttriinega  ttot  gmette  iinn  otn  tthe  
conversattiion  and  conttriibutte  tto  whatt  coulld  be  a  massiivelly  
new  approach  to  iimproviing  heallth  and  wellllness..  Much  off  
tthe  assumpttiions  aboutt  how  tto  preventt  and  manage  such  
condiittiions  are  based  iin  ttheory  and  more  research  and  
ttesttiing  iis  needed  tto  confifirm  tthe  connecttiion..  “IItt’’s  realllly  a  
chiicken  and  egg  siittuattiion,,”  commentts  Dr..  Hubller,,  “iitt’’s  
nott  yett  known  iiff  tthe  bactteriia  causes  or  iis  lliinked  tto  
Dementtiia  or  Dementtiia  iis  causiing  tthe  bactteriiall  buiilld  up..”  
Onlly  ttiime  wiillll  ttellll  as  research  conttiinues..