According to Colgate, there are 700 specific strains of bacteria that are found in the human mouth.

Now before you start worrying about your dental health, not all of these bacteria do us any harm. Furthermore, most people only play host to about 34–72 different species, some of which actually aid in food digestion in your mouth and help protect your teeth and gums.

However, the trouble starts when certain species enter your mouth and cause diseases, affecting your dental health.

What Impacts Our Mouth Microbiome?

There’s a name for the slimy coating in your mouth when you wake up in the morning; it’s called biofilm. This can cause an imbalance in your mouth’s ecosystem if you don’t take the right steps to remove it.

Considered to be a product of the bacteria that’s responsible for gum disease and tooth decay, biofilm can take over your mouth if you don’t follow proper dental hygiene practices. When that happens, it causes cavities, bad breath, and even tooth loss; and that’s just the start.

Keep in mind, your oral hygiene can impact your overall health as well. If the pathogens in your mouth aren’t cleared, they can make way their way into other parts of your body. Aside from indigestion, the inflammation caused by these pathogens can cause damage to the blood vessels in your gums. This also puts you at risk of harmful bacteria entering your bloodstream.

If this is not tended to on time, it can even cause diseases in various organs, which include but aren’t limited to heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. They can also cause complications during pregnancy.

Understanding Mouth Culture

If you truly want to understand how these pathogens affect your bodies, the best way to do so is to look at the oral chemistry of our saliva. A rich source of bacteria, testing your saliva will give us all the knowledge we need to improve your oral health.

If your saliva test indicates concerning levels of periodontal pathogens, your dentist will provide you with a dental plan that will restrict the use of any aggressive antiseptics or antibiotics in order to cure your periodontal disease through a holistic approach.

A proper continued cycle of treatment will allow you to control your chances of re-infection.