The Strong Connection of the Mouth to the Brain

The strong connection of the mouth to the brain goes through the nerves. The cranial nerves are the “highways” of brain traffic that connect our senses directly to the brain. We have 12 pairs of cranial nerves visible on the underside of the brain. The thickest is the Trigeminal nerve. Trigeminal links to the oral cavity, the lower and the upper jaw. This means that the oral cavity conveys more information than the optic nerve.

The twelve cranial nerves and their functions

In: The olfactory nerve conveys smell information from olfactory cells in the nose.
II: The optic nerve gives us visual impressions via the eye’s light-sensitive cells.
III: The eye’s muscle nerve (oculomotor) controls the fine muscles that regulate the eye’s light intake.
IV: The nerve of the eye socket (trochlear) allows us to roll the eyes.
VI: The side viewer nerve (abducens) controls the ability to look to the sides.

V: The trigeminal nerve mediates sensation on the face, teeth, jaws, and oral cavity.
VII: The facial nerve takes care of lip movements and taste, etc.
VIII: The balance and auditory nerve records sound and manages the balance.
IX: The glossopharyngeal nerve is involved in mouth sensation, swallowing reflex, and saliva production.
X: The vagus nerve controls the vocal cords and communicates with the chest and abdominal brain.
XI: The accessory nerve manages the neck and neck muscles.
XII. The hypoglossal nerve handles seven tongue muscles that control our speech ability.

The Strong Connections to the Mouth

The nerve connections tell us what’s important to the brain. Notice that five of the twelve cranial nerves connect to the mouth in different ways, while e.g. only one of the nerves connect to the hearing. So the brain prioritizes the mouth. The strong mouth-brain connection means that you can stimulate the brain in a simple way: use CHEW PEER!