The body’s ability to protect itself from harm is quite an incredible thing. And just as blood goes through a clotting process to foil unfettered bleeding without us asking for its assistance, probiotics are working to keep bad bacteria at bay, not only in our gut, but in our mouth as well! And, the cool thing is, we can feed these bacteria what they want to help them do their job. How is that possible? With a little supplementation, of course!
What is a Probiotic? A probiotic is one of many types of microorganisms that inhabit our body and act in cohort with other “good bacteria” to keep bad bacteria from multiplying to levels that compromise our health.
How Do Probiotics Work in Your Mouth? Probiotics prohibit the overgrowth of “bad bacteria” by consuming the same energy source (carbohydrates) they need to survive. In other words, you want to have more good bacteria than bad bacteria – and you can do that by supplementing!
Give Your Mouth the Help it Needs By boosting levels of good bacteria in your mouth through regular supplementation, you allow colonies of good bacteria to develop so they can starve-out the bad guys. For those interested, the two most common methods for doing so are by using lozenges and rinses that contain probiotics. With rinses, look for S. salivarius K12 and M18 on the label, and with lozenges, you’ll want to see the combination of Streptococcus oralis KJ3, Streptococcus uberis KJ2, and Streptococcus rattus JH145.
Are Probiotics Good for Everyone? Because probiotics are living organisms, it’s important to consult with your doctor before increasing your consumption of these little bacteria fighters. People with any sort of immune-specific conditions or who are immunocompromised should most certainly consult with a physician before switching up their diet, or supplementing with probiotics.
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