Probiotics Ensure Your Mouth Stays Healthy

As health science research in the field of dentistry continues to advance, the relationship between the body’s oral and overall health continues to become more evident. What we do (or don’t do) to take care of our mouths and teeth can have a direct impact on the rest of our bodies.

Recent research has shown that probiotics are extremely beneficial to both oral and overall health and are an especially great weapon in the fight against gum disease and other dental issues.

What are Probiotics?

Dr. Harold Katz explains probiotics as “a natural way to help your body defend against outside predators … Probiotics are about balancing the good bacteria with the bad by using competitive inhibition. This means stopping all foreign, negative bacteria from thriving in the oral cavity by having beneficial bacteria consume the resources that both types of microbes need to survive and multiply.”

So, as you can see, not all bacteria are bad! Probiotics are bacteria that will actually benefit your health in numerous ways. They typically appear in the form of a pill, but new probiotic solutions, designed for oral health, are actually liquids that you gargle with.

Just like mouthwash, you tilt your head back and gargle the solution in your mouth for a minute or so and then spit it out. Various types of these probiotics can alleviate several oral health problems, including:

• Bad breath & dry mouth – This includes the dreaded “morning breath!”
• Ear infections – Contrary to popular belief, these usually begin in the throat and make their way into the middle ear.
• Cavities – Cavities are caused by harmful bacteria that creates lactic acid that eats away at your enamel.
• Tonsil stones – These can cause bad breath and are caused by the accumulation of sulfur-producing bacteria and debris that become lodged in your tonsils.
• Biofilm and plaque – Biofilm irritates your gums and hardens into tartar if it isn’t removed and plaque is one of the main causes of gum disease.

A New Hope

If you are afflicted with any of these problems, have no fear – we are here to help. Probiotics show promising results in treating all of these oral health problems and more, and they can be a benefit to your mouth and your entire body.

Going to the dentist has never been so important because gum disease and the previously mentioned problems can act silently and unknowingly to crucially damage your mouth, teeth, and other parts of your body.

Dr. Lodding, your ideal dentist in Elgin, continues to further his education in this field of wellness dentistry in order to better the health of his patients in all aspects, rather than just their smiles.

Contact us today to find our more about wellness dentistry and how we can help you with probiotics!