Dental hygiene
According to Penn Dental, poor oral hygiene allows harmful bacteria to multiply in the mouth and enter the bloodstream, which causes systemic inflammation and increases the risk of chronic conditions throughout the body, including heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory issues. About 3 weeks ago, I had the most horrible toothache I had ever experienced. It turned out that it wasn’t a toothache, but an inflamed muscle and ligament that sits in between your jaw bone. The hyoid bone sits below the lower jaw (mandible) and above the thyroid cartilage of the larynx, roughly at the level of the third or fourth cervical vertebra. Suspended entirely by muscles and ligaments, it tethers the tongue, larynx, floor of the mouth, and pharynx. 5 years ago, I started this experiment which ignited my curiosity, “What would happen if I only brushed my teeth once a day?” Around mid-2023, when I saw a viral video by a young man on Instagram sharing his story about why his teeth were rotten...