February
4
What Does Bacteria Have to do with Healthy Teeth?
What’s the Benefit to Friendly Flora?
Probiotics are commonly called “friendly flora” or “beneficial bacteria.” The benefit to using probiotics is that natural, resident bacteria can help preserve the health of the environment in which they naturally thrive.
Sound complicated? Not at all.
Think of yogurt. The beneficial bacteria – or probiotics – in yogurt are very helpful in keeping your gut in check when you take antibiotics – the drugs used to fight bacterial infections.
When you eat yogurt, the probiotics burrow into the lining of your gut and help keep your digestion functioning properly even though the antibiotics are there to wipe out all bacteria.
What Does Bacteria Have to do with Healthy Teeth?
Well, think about the ideal conditions for breeding bacteria – a warm, damp, dark environment. Sounds like a mouth to me! Your mouth is home to upwards of 700 different breeds of bacteria. It sounds a little more gross than it is.
In reality, we’re surrounded by bacteria, and most of it doesn’t want much to do with us. In fact, of those hundreds of bacteria that call the human mouth home, only a few are actually harmful, and a few are beneficial.
Just as in the intestines, the bacterial balance in the mouth can easily be disrupted. Things that contribute to this disruption include diets that are more likely to feed the harmful bacteria.
Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria that is primarily responsible for tooth decay, thrives on diets high in sugar. This is why people who drink sugar-sweetened drinks or snack on candy throughout the day are far more likely to have tooth decay.
Probiotics – Banishers of Bad Bacteria
Just as probiotics taken for digestion improve gut health by simply restoring the balance of bacteria in favor of the beneficial bacteria, oral care probiotics restore the bacteria balance of the mouth in favor of those few healthy bacteria.
Adding probiotics to your oral care regimen is as simple as popping a probiotic mint twice daily after brushing. These mints support gum and tooth health, offer fresh breath that lasts all day and gently whiten teeth. Surely THAT makes you smile!
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