UNDERSTANDING PROBIOTICS, FOR THE MOUTH!

Probiotics are everywhere...and now also in the mouth!  Like your digestive tract, the oral cavity houses hundreds of bacterial species. 

It is important for you to understand that there is a critical link in the oral-systemic health connection.  I have touched on this in previous blog entries; however, today, I would like to concentrate on how the use of oral probiotics, like the use of these in the gastrointestinal tract, helps promote oral health and general well being.

What is a PROBIOTIC? The word "probiotic" comes from Latin and means "for life." According to the World Health Organization's recent definition, probiotics is "the use of live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host." Oral probiotics are probiotics for the mouth...intended to promote a healthy oral ecosystem.

As you may know, probiotics are generally used to maintain optimal gut bacteria and to prevent gas, bloating, and other unfavorable symptoms than can occur when these germs are out of balance.  Like the digestive system, the oral cavity is home to several hundred species of bacteria, some good and some bad.  When out of balance, you may start to experience inflammation, caries, and bleeding.   The key to maintaining a healthy oral environment is to promote equilibrium within this microbial ecosystem.  By maintaining a balance between the harmful and helpful endogenous germs the oral defense mechanism remains in tact. By doing this, I would like to believe that we are positively impacting the oral health of our patients and minimizing the need for invasive dental or pharmacological oral therapy. These modalities, when taken systematically, may enhance your oral health between visits.

Lets Explain!

As you may now understand, I believe in comprehensive care. Collaboration with other medical and dental specialties allows me to create a customized treatment plan for my patients, enabling the use of the growing number of powerful tools available to us today, including oral care probiotics.  Combined efforts are imperative in prophylactically maintaining a healthy oral environment...ultimately avoiding the clinical signs and symptoms associated with oral diseases which arise as a result of the imbalance within your oral cavity. 

Although most of the probiotics are ingested orally, these are not intended to impact the oral cavity.  For this, today we have one of the most studied and accepted oral probiotic products on the market...Evora Pro from Oragenics.  Composed of strains naturally found in the mouth, this patented blend of probiotics is intended to provide an oral benefit.  These bacteria work together against the undesirable oral bacteria associated with advanced caries ( cavities/decay ), bad breath, and oral infections.  Specific studies have shown that Evora Pro, when used daily over 4 weeks, resulted in a decrease in the level of bacteria known to cause decay...by 84%. These are challenges many of our patients face. I would recommend the use of this, or other, oral probiotics, be considered when in conversation with your dentist.  A comprehensive treatment approach should include the use of probiotics when necessary. There are other products available which confer balance to the oral environment.  Ask your dentist about these.

When introducing an oral probiotic, such as the one mentioned above ( EvoraPro) we would be considering the following:

• Taking one table, once a day with the blend of beneficial bacteria that bind to teeth ad flourish below the gum line
• Crowding out undesirable bacteria to maintain a healthy, natural balance of beneficial oral flora in the mouth
• Promoting overall oral health, whiter teeth, and fresher breath 

Basically, the balanced interaction between the mouth and the body is very important in maintaining oral health and optimal well being. With the introduction of oral probiotics to our hygiene protocols, we can now help reestablish our patients' delicate balance between the "good" and "evil" germs that normally in the mouth, thus promoting and maintaining a balanced ecosystem consistently and between dental visits.

If you would like more information on how this, or any other oral health issue, may be of benefit to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Remember, we are here to assist you in creating that "Smile You'd Be Proud To Wear...ANYWHERE!"