As if keeping your original set isn’t enough of a reason, here’s one more justification for keeping your teeth healthy: Excessive use of denture cream could lead to neurological damage.

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas studied the cases of four denture-clad patients with neurological problems, each of whom reported using a much higher-than-recommended amount of denture cream. Denture cream contains high levels of zinc, which, along with copper, regulates much of the neurological activity in the body, according to researchers. Because of the increased levels of zinc now in the patients’ bodies, copper levels became depleted and the patients became physically weak and lost some of their cognitive function.

One tube of denture cream should last roughly three to 10 weeks, according to researchers. The four patients would use two tubes per week each. Two of the patients alleviated their neurological symptoms by discontinuing use of the cream and taking copper supplements. The full report was published in the August 26 issue of Neurology.