The health of our teeth and gums is far more than just a beautiful smile. Oral health is considered as a reflection of your overall health. There are more than 700 species of good and bad bacteria in our mouth, and some lead to serious health issues.

Swishing antibacterial mouth wash can be more dangerous than the benefits we expect from it. Antibacterial mouthwash kills all the bacteria living in the mouth, including the good ones. Many of the mouthwashes contain triclosan, peroxide, fluoride, alcohol, and cetyl pyridinium, and all of these are powerful bacterial killer solutions.

The connection between the gut and oral health

Our mouth is part of the gut microbiome, and it is home to the oral microbiome. Gut and oral microbes always interact with each other, which is why digestive health problems can also affect oral health. Bad breath, tooth decay and gum diseases are all signs of an oral bacterial imbalance that can lead to infections and other symptoms. Imbalanced gut bacteria cause the mouth to become unbalanced also. This changed oral environment allows harmful bacteria to take over.

The gut sends the signals to the immune system regarding a disturbance in the bacterial gut flora, and these symptoms also appear in the mouth. This oral imbalance is also a big reason for gum diseases in addition to a few bad bacteria. Oral microbes coordinate with our immune system, similar to the way our gut microbes do. Just as it is essential to maintain healthy gut flora, it is also essential to keep oral flora in balance.

The benefits of taking probiotics for gum and teeth health

Oral microbiome imbalance starts silently, and the first sign of mouth inflammation is bleeding gums. Probiotics are a natural means of fighting against plaque, bad breath and gum diseases. Regularly taking probiotics can stop, slow or delay the infection process that can cause oral diseases.

• Probiotic supplements and a proper diet activate the body’s immune system within 24 hours to fight against harmful bacteria and infections.
• You can consider probiotics as the first line of defense against bad bacteria.
• By eradicating the odor-causing bacteria, probiotics treat bad breath at the source.
• Probiotics promote healthy teeth and gum by keeping harmful bacteria in check.
• Probiotics also help good oral bacteria to repopulate and overcome the adverse effects of antibacterial mouthwash.
• Gingivitis (bleeding of gums) can also be treated by a regular dose of probiotics.
• The use of probiotics not only decreases inflammation from gum diseases, but it also prevent oral cancer.

Probiotics enhance gastrointestinal health and potentially improve calcium absorption that keeps teeth and bones healthy. Probiotics reverse the microbial imbalance to prevent gum diseases that can cause tooth loss.