Maintaining your oral health for a lifetime won’t just preserve your teeth. It can also help keep your body strong and even reduce your risk of a variety of dangerous medical conditions. If you’ve been searching for some natural ways to protect your smile against things like gum disease and tooth decay, probiotics could be the answer. Here’s a closer look at these mighty microbes, and how they can help protect your teeth and gums (as well as your overall health!) for a lifetime!
What are Probiotics, anyway?
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that act as helpers by fighting off dangerous and harmful oral bacteria, creating a better balance within your body. Inside your mouth, a team of good microbes known as lactobacilli can battle bad bacteria, creating a healthier oral microbiome that helps eliminate plaque, bad breath, and gum disease.
How Can Protecting My Teeth and Gums Keep Me Healthy?
In addition to helping create a more harmonious balance between good and bad oral bacteria, probiotics can also help reduce inflammation that can travel throughout the body and may even worsen or cause dangerous systemic issues like cognitive decline, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
How Can I Add Probiotics to My Diet?
The good news is that incorporating more probiotics into your diet is easy. In addition to using supplements that are available online or at many health food stores, they are also naturally occurring in healthy, delicious, fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut. In fact, you only need one serving a day of these powerful menu options to reap the full benefits to your oral health!
Other Ways to Protect Your Oral Health
If you are concerned about your oral health and would like to reduce your risk of gum disease and cavities, the best way to do this is brush your teeth twice a day, floss daily, and visit your dentist twice a year for your regular checkups and cleanings. If you’d like to learn more about which types of bacteria are present in your mouth to help reduce them and understand your risk of serious oral and overall health problems, speak to your dentist about saliva testing, which can be done during your next 6-month visit.
Remember, staying healthy and strong for a lifetime is a concerted effort between your oral and overall health. To keep your teeth and gums strong and powerful, it is possible to enhance your hygiene with the help of probiotics. If you’d like to learn more about these amazing microbes and see how they can benefit you, speak to your dentist today about saliva testing and start a regimen to protect your mouth and body today!
About Dr. Rowley
Dr. Nicholas Rowley earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University and his dental doctorate at Nova Southeastern University. Since graduating, he has amassed hundreds of hours of continuing education, and he’s currently a proud, active member of the American Dental Association, the Florida Dental Association, the Central Florida District Dental Association, and the Brevard County Dental Society. To learn more about how probiotics can benefit your smile, or to schedule an appointment for a checkup and cleaning, contact Rowley Family Dentistry today by visiting our website or calling 321-723-1772.