Dental care generally stretches beyond flossing and brushing. According to recent research, studies have shown oral probiotics to be effective for dental care. Over the past few years, these supplements’ popularity has been soaring due to their oral benefits.
Including oral probiotics in your dental care routine can help prevent dental cavities and gum diseases. The question is, Are oral probiotics effective for dental care?
The answer is Yes; oral probiotics are very effective for dental care. Let’s dig in a bit deeper to find out how.
What are Probiotics?
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Generally, probiotics are tiny microorganisms that guarantee the user health benefits upon consumption. While some probiotics may occur naturally in the body, most come from external sources such as foods and supplements, like Prodentim or Dentitox. Located in the lower area of your digestive tract are a considerable number of Probiotics. This number is much higher than the total number of cells in your entire body.
Subscribing to an unhealthy diet may create a high possibility of harmful bacteria outweighing good bacteria. If such is the case, it may cause serious health issues.
Increased consumption of sugary foods or drinks may cause gradual bacterial build-up on the teeth and gums. However, daily flossing and brushing can help eliminate these bacteria.
Using oral probiotics is also another alternative that’ll yield profound results. The good news is you can find these probiotics in most of your daily foods. In a way, you’ll be consuming bacteria that’ll help fend off harmful bacteria while improving your oral health.
The Benefits of Oral Probiotics
As previously mentioned, many scientific researchers agree that oral probiotics are significantly beneficial for maintaining healthy oral hygiene. Probiotics can also help rebuild gum and teeth; though the US drug and food administration hasn’t approved oral probiotics for medicinal use, some expected benefits of using them include;
- Helps Eliminate Bad Breath
Most oral products aimed at getting rid of bad breath kill the bacteria (halitosis) causing the bad breath or mask the odor. Bad breath is primarily brought about by volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) secreted by harmful bacteria in the mouth.
The bad breath smell is usually likened to rotten eggs and cabbage. Harmful bacteria generally repopulate rapidly, and odor masking or killing the halitosis bacteria are considered short-term solutions.
Common probiotics that have been discovered to be effective in getting rid of bad breath include;
- Streptococcus salivarius M18
- Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 (10)
- Streptococcus salivarius K12
- Helps With Gum Disease
According to this study, more than 40% of American adults are affected by chronic inflammatory gum disease, Periodontitis. This dental condition is primarily associated with heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.
Once gum recession sets in, you can only keep the gum disease from worsening but not reverse it. Most dentists and periodontists advise that you handle a gum disease immediately at its early stages. Also read: What Are Dental Probiotics: Do They Actually Work?
Findings based on some clinical trials indicate that probiotics may help improve symptoms of gum diseases. Some of the best probiotic strains for gum diseases are; L. reuteri and L. Brevis. Including these strains in your oral care routine can reduce gum inflammation and bleeding gums and eliminate bacteria causing gingivitis.
- Prevents Plaque Formation
Your mouth houses a wide range of harmful bacteria. And some of them even form a film on the teeth called plaque. According to a 2016 study, a probiotic strain, A12, was influential in fighting the Streptococcus mutans—a bacterium that causes a cavity.
The S.mutans bacteria turns sugar into lactic acid, creating a favorable environment for plaque formation. The harmful bacteria burrow into the teeth in good conditions, causing cavities. The final findings showed that the A12 strain stopped S.mutans from forming plaque and replicating.
- Supports Overall Health
According to some New Zealand researchers, the strain S.salivarius K12 is pretty competitive with some bacterial pathogenic species linked to earaches and sore throat.
The S.salivarius K12 and other strains have been discovered to be beneficial in eliminating the conditions mentioned above and some respiratory diseases. Aside from the S.salivarius K12 other respiratory beneficial strains include;
- Lactobacillus reuteri
- Streptococcus salivarius M18
- Lactobacillus paracasei
- Lactobacillus sakei
More importantly, a good dental care routine helps supports cardiovascular, gut, and overall health. According to doctor Nelson-Dooley, a US ethnopharmacologist, individuals who adopt good oral hygiene can significantly reduce cardiac events.
How Long Probiotics Take to Work
Many patients may see significant improvements in their oral health in a few days, while some might take a bit longer. The first sign of a working probiotic effect significantly reduced bad breath.
If you’re beginning to use these supplements, it’s best to wait 30 days to yield significant results. As mentioned, your body can also produce these supplements in smaller doses. So by taking these oral supplements, you’ll add healthy bacteria to your system. That way, you’ll be fending off harmful bacteria from invading your oral health and even general immunity. Also, read the latest scam on Prodentim
Side Effects of Oral Probiotics
Oral Probiotics are safe. However, taking these supplements is not wise if you have high infection risks because of conditions like HIV. More research needs to be done on these supplements since their full potential hasn’t been discovered.
Advisably, seniors, children, and pregnant mothers should avoid using these supplements unless under a doctor’s supervision. Also, you shouldn’t exceed the prescribed dose, nor should you do self-supplementation or experiment with them.
Final Thoughts
From the above info, there’s certain that oral probiotics are pretty effective for dental care. Remember, aside from supplements, you can also get these oral probiotics from a healthy, consistent, balanced diet. Beware of manufactured supplements that are past their shelf lives.
The shelf life of specific probiotics is about a year from the date of manufacture. After a year, though still consumable, they may not be as effective as before. In case of any underlying medical condition, discuss with your dentist the best way to take the probiotic supplements. Otherwise, there’s no telling the extent of health damage it may cause. Generally, for maximum efficiency, remember to follow the manufacturers’ or the dentists’ instructions on taking the supplements to the latter.
