Why Should You Take Probiotics for Oral Health?
We associate the mouth with food and digestion, but did you know the mouth also plays a vital role in ensuring our overall wellness? It's a fairly complex part of our body, serving a role in the digestive and respiratory systems.
Most of us do our best to make sure that we promote the best oral health possible, but we can still find new ways to improve our oral health by brushing our teeth.
Cue: probiotics! Most people associate probiotics with gut health, but probiotics can act as a powerful aid in preventing certain oral diseases and conditions.
Curious about the link between probiotics and oral health? Say no more. Let’s dive into why you should take probiotics for your oral health!
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms, like bacteria and certain yeasts, that facilitate healthy processes in your body. Their function is to maintain a healthy ecosystem of microorganisms in our body (or help regain that ecosystem after an illness), which we need to stay healthy.
In fact, probiotics are beneficial to dozens of places within the body that require a delicate, balanced ecosystem, like the gut, vagina, and especially the mouth.
As one might imagine, the mouth is a place full of bacteria and other microorganisms; there are up to 700 species of microbes that live in your mouth. Like any other community of microorganisms in our body, it’s important to ensure a good balance of microorganisms in the mouth. But occasionally, you may face issues with your oral health that need some extra support. Probiotics can provide that support, offering these three benefits for your oral health:
Top 3 Benefits of Probiotics for Oral Health
1. They support healthy gums and help reduce plaque build-up.
Gum disease is an inflammatory disease that can damage your gums and teeth. Poor oral hygiene (like failing to floss or brush your teeth regularly) causes plaque to build up on your teeth. This can lead to the inflammation of the gums and the increase of destructive bacteria.
This build-up of harmful bacteria allows gum disease to thrive and disrupts the mouth's ecosystem. The bacteria attack your gums, which leads to worse oral health, and so on. It’s a cycle with harsh consequences. And while mostly preventable, gum disease is pretty serious. This disease may influence other severe conditions like diabetes and pneumonia; in the worst-case scenario, you can even lose your teeth.
That’s where probiotics can come in handy — they can help restore the mouth's natural balance of microorganisms. Probiotics won’t replace trips to your dentist or stellar dental hygiene, but they can provide extra support to fight gum disease. Probiotics have even been linked to reducing plaque and decreasing gum inflammation, the two culprits of sustained gum disease.
So if you’re looking to take extra measures against gum disease, trying probiotics may be the right option.
2. They promote healthy upper respiratory function.
Whether we’re talking, singing, or eating, we breathe in with our mouths. As a result, your saliva constantly enters your lungs via tiny droplets. So what does the imbalance of good and bad bacteria mean for your respiratory health?
Your mouth is the first stop for harmful bacteria. Even if you aren't experiencing the severe stages of gum disease, bacteria can still fester in an environment where the balance of microorganisms is off. This bacteria can travel into your lungs and cause complications, especially if you also deal with other respiratory conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Destructive bacteria from a poor oral ecosystem can increase existing irritation of the lungs, even causing long-lasting damage. Recent studies suggest that harmful bacteria from gum disease can cause pneumonia, increasing the link between oral health and upper respiratory function.
For these reasons, it’s even more crucial to ensure that you have the best oral health possible. Probiotics can help restore the natural balance of bacteria in your mouth and ensure that invasive microorganisms have a reduced chance of spreading to your lungs. And if you have pre-existing respiratory issues, you may find that probiotics are a game-changing addition to your oral health routine.
3. They can help improve bad breath.
It’s safe to say that nobody likes bad breath. But bad breath doesn’t only come from forgetting to brush after consuming garlic or onion. Chronic bad breath, or halitosis, is caused by the growth of harmful bacteria that grows in your mouth and throws off the balance of your mouth’s ecosystem.
Aside from maintaining a great oral routine, what can you do? You can try plenty of methods to help eliminate this bacteria (like disinfectants and mouthwash), but there is a chance that they further disturb the ecosystem of your mouth and only temporarily mask the odor.
On the other hand, research shows that probiotics may inhibit the growth of this destructive bacteria by restoring the natural balance of microorganisms in your mouth. This solution promotes long-lasting transformation for halitosis and contributes to a healthier ecosystem overall.
Try NatureWise Oral Health Probiotics to Level Up Your Oral Health Routine
NatureWise Oral Health Probiotics encourages a healthy oral ecosystem, which means you may likely enjoy better immunity. Remember, oral health is your body’s first line of defense against harmful bacteria. The more stable the ecosystem, the better the balance of beneficial bacteria, and voila! You have a solid line of protection against any invasive microorganisms entering your mouth.
Needless to say, the body is a complex place with hundreds of thousands of finely-tuned processes and ecosystems. That being said, a simple way to ensure better immunity, oral health, and respiratory function is to pay attention to the state of your oral health. Stay prepared by adding probiotics to your daily dental care before bad breath, gum disease, or respiratory issues come knocking!
