Probiotics for Dental Health
One of my dental patients, in his mid to late 70s, brought in a bottle of “Florassist Oral Hygiene” a probiotic blend for teeth and gums by “LifeExtension.” I have heard of probiotics but have never done anything with them.
And what are probiotics? According to dictionary.com, the definition of probiotic is: a beneficial bacterium found in the intestinal tract of healthy mammals, often considered to be a plant.
The general concept is based on eating healthy microbes (microscopic organisms) which will replace harmful organisms, particularly in the small intestines. The result is less gas and bloating as well as more regularity.
There are a lot of different microbes in the mouth. Plaque which appears on teeth is just concentrated microbes that have attached to the teeth. The result of this is either gum disease, decay or both. Along with the gum disease is an inflammation, where the body’s response to the irritant makes the gums red, swollen and they bleed easily.
The purpose of probiotics is to rebalance the population of microbes in the mouth. With this particular product, they use S. salivarius BLIS M18 to improve oral and gum health, and Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 against dental caries (the scientific name for decay). In this way, some of the bad bacteria will be replaced with good bacteria, and the result is a better environment for the patient to achieve gum health.