The oral microbiome (mouth) consists of the teeth, tongue, cheeks, hard and soft palates and tonsils, which are all colonized by bacteria.

There are over 700 bacterial species or phylotypesthat live in the mouth.

There are beneficial bacteria that aid in the digestion of foods and protect your teeth and gums and then there are the bad bacteria that we would rather do without, since they cause bad breath, tooth decay, gum disease and even affect your health.

A healthy mouth contains a balance of good and bad bacteria. However, environmental factors such as, nutrition, diet, hygiene, smoking, dehydration and even stress, can alter the ecological conditions of the mouth causing harmful bacteria to grow and accumulate.

Certain bacteria live in your mouth and feed on the sugars and starches that you eat, leading to tooth decay, while other bacteria cause gingivitis and if left untreated, periodontitis, a  serious disease not to be taken lightly, causing significant dental pain and can eventually lead to tooth loss. 

Studies show a clear link between oral disease and diseases such as cardiovascular disease, strokes, diabetes, premature birth and pneumonia.

What goes on in your mouth is an essential part of a healthy gut. You swallow one trillion bacteria every day which then lands up in your gastrointestinal microbiome, which is critical for GI health, metabolism, immune function and even brain function.

A mouth that is sick is seeding the entire GI tract with bad bugs and could also be introducing unhealthy bacteria into the bloodstream every day. 

Maintaining a healthy environment in the mouth not only means brushing and flossing, but the most important thing is taking an oral probiotic supplement which keeps the bacteria in balance.

Specific probiotics support your overall health as well as oral wellness. They work by killing or curtailing the growth of pathogens by producing agents that make it harder for them to live and thrive and thereby stopping or slowing the process of infection that leads to oral disease.

They not only disrupt the formation of harmful plaque but they also make the immune system more efficient at removing bad bugs.

Probiotics also have properties that reduce inflammation and they can stimulate bone formation, which helps repair the bone that deteriorates from advanced forms of gum disease.

Lactobacillus salivarius, a key ingredient in MiBiotix Oral Health, not only produces its own antibiotics that are specifically targeted against invading pathogenic bacteria but it also produces lactic acid which helps fight bad bacteria, reducing cavities and gingivitis in the mouth.