This Simple Nighttime Habit May Lower Dementia Risk By 31%, According to Study

Cognitive health is always top of mind (no pun intended), and it doesn’t have to be inevitable. From adopting a healthy diet to getting regular exercise, there are a lot of small steps to take to protect our precious brains—and now a new study suggests another healthy habit can have seriously strong impacts on dementia risk. And the bonus? It’s easy, inexpensive and may be something you’re doing already.

Related: The Unexpected Early Dementia Sign You Might Miss, According to Neurologists

The Nighttime Habit That May Lower Your Risk of Dementia

In news that will make your dentist want to shout “I told you so” from the rooftops, flossing your teeth has been linked with a reduced dementia risk.

A December 2024 study found that participants who had severe periodontitis (commonly known as gum disease) was linked to cognitive decline.

Related: ‘I’m a Cleveland Clinic Neuropsychologist—These Are 3 Symptoms of Brain Disease That Can Actually Begin Years Earlier Than Expected’

What Is Gum Disease?

Gum disease a bigger deal than you think—because it can impact not just your mouth, but also your brain (more on that in a minute!) and can also be an indicator of poor bone health as well. First, how do you know you have gum disease? You’ll want to get diagnosed by a dentist or periodontist, so make an appointment STAT if you notice any of the following symptoms, per Cleveland Clinic:

• A literal bad taste in your mouth that persists, even if you haven’t eaten anything that would cause it
• Bleeding gums
• Halitosis (bad breath) no matter what you’ve eaten
• Inflamed gums that may appear red or purplish in color
• Loose teeth
• Changes in your teeth’s positioning in your mouth
• Pain when chewing

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What Causes Gum Disease?

“Gum disease can be caused by many different factors, and there are multiple types of gum disease,” Dr. Kartik Antani, DMD, dentist at Napa Family Dental of Albuquerque and CEO of Bergen Street Dental Management, previously told Parade. “The least invasive is gingivitis, which is inflammation of the gums above the bone level. The most aggressive type is periodontitis, which is when the bone around the tooth starts to become damaged. Often, people see the gums receding and think it’s ‘just the gum,’ and sometimes it is just the soft tissue. But more often than not, it’s actually the underlying bone that’s being degraded. Osteoporosis is a bone disease, so it only makes sense that people with osteoporosis are at a higher risk of periodontitis.”

Yikes!

Related: Dentists Share the #1 Unexpected Habit That Causes Cavities

How Does Gum Health Impact Brain Health?

Admittedly, this study was a pretty small one: Oral surgeons and neurologists in Japan examined a total of 321 participants; 123 participants had periodontitis and 41 of those participants were later diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

While that doesn’t sound like a lot, researchers crunched the numbers and, when factoring in variables like education levels, age and even the number of functional teeth each participant had, 65.9% of participants with severe periodontitis developed MCI, while just 34.3% of the participants with healthy gums did.

“A strong association was seen between severe periodontitis and mild cognitive impairment,” study authors wrote. “Severe periodontitis appears to be a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment, and patients with severe periodontitis should be assessed for mild cognitive impairment.”

It’s not the first study to show that oral health is directly linked to brain health: A 2020 study noted that oral health tends to worsen as cognitive function does, with researchers writing in part, “Dementia has been found to be a strong predictor of poor oral health including the severity of periodontitis.”

Related: The Alzheimer’s Risk Factor That May Show Up 20 Years Before Symptoms

Yet another study, released in 2023, reported that periodontitis can produce toxins that can damage proteins necessary for neurological functioning, but also noted that it can be a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg issue: Cognitive decline may lead to a decline in oral care, which may, in turn, exacerbate cognitive decline—essentially, a vicious cycle of bad news for your brain and mouth.

Poor oral health has also been linked to higher blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke and heart disease.

“What hasn’t been clear is whether poor oral health affected brain health, meaning the functional status of a person’s brain, which we are now able to understand better using neuroimaging tools such as magnetic resonance imaging or MRI,” Dr. Cyprien Rivier, M.D., M.S., an author of a 2023 study from the Yale School of Medicine examining the connections between poor oral health and poor brain health, said in a statement. “Studying oral health is especially important because poor oral health happens frequently and is an easily modifiable risk factor— everyone can effectively improve their oral health with minimal time and financial investment.”

Related: What You Should Stop Doing By Age 65 to Prevent Alzheimer’s, According to Neurologists

How to Improve Your Oral Health to Protect Your Brain Health

The good news is, preventing gum disease isn’t hard.

Brush your teeth properly and thoroughly.

This means all sides of your teeth, not just the tops and fronts! You’ll want to aim for three minutes and not apply too much pressure, because that could irritate your gums and make things worse. (If you have a habit of brushing too hard, you can try using your non-dominant hand.)

Related: The Best Electric Toothbrushes

Make sure your toothpaste has fluoride.

If it doesn’t, you might as well be using mint-flavored mud. And that’s gross.

Floss! Floss! Floss!

Flossing is key, as Dr. Antani says most cavities actually start between teeth. If you can snag one, water flossers are particularly great at keeping all the nookies and crannies in your mouth squeaky clean. He also recommends flossing before brushing, which is a common consensus among experts.

Related: A Dentist Reveals the Biggest Toothbrushing Mistake That a Ton of People Make Everyday

Use a good rinse.

Ask your dentist which is best for you, because individual needs can vary, especially if your gums are irritated.

If you smoke or chew tobacco, for the love of Pete, please quit.

Listen, we know it’s hard, but tobacco is making not just your oral health (and breath) worse, it’s also killing you. And frankly, we like having you around!

Keep up with your dental exams.

Make sure you’re getting your twice-yearly cleanings and dental exams, because your dentist is able to spot issues before the untrained eye can.

Up Next:

Related: There’s a Surprising Connection Between Oral Health and Mental Health—Here’s What to Know

Sources

• Dr. Kartik Antani, DMD
• “Association of Periodontitis with Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults.” Journal of Aging Research and Lifestyle.
• “Association between adverse oral conditions and cognitive impairment: A literature review.” Frontiers in Public Health.
• “Can oral health and oral-derived biospecimens predict progression of dementia?.” Oral Diseases.
• “Periodontitis (Gum Disease).” Cleveland Clinic.
• “Poor oral health may contribute to declines in brain health.” American Heart Association.