Chewing Well Associated With Healthier Brain and Less Pain

Those who can chew properly may have less stress, pain, and trouble focusing. William Vaccaro/Shutterstock

Researchers have found that being able to chew food well lowers anxiety, improves memory, and reduces pain, providing a compelling case for early treatment of poor oral health, removal of misaligned teeth, or simply chewing more gum.

Mice with crossbites showed significantly more noticeable and persistent anxiety-like behaviours, and “early removal of crossbites results in general improvement or partial recovery of these changes,” the authors wrote in their study published in December 2022.