Dental health can certainly feel like a mystery to some. Perhaps you have a friend that seems to have terrible daily oral hygiene habits, and yet they never seem to develop cavities or gum issues. All while you’re constantly flossing, brushing, using the latest mouthwash, going to the dentist religiously, and periodontal disease and cavities plague you. You hear some people talk about genetics being the leading factor in all of this, but why are siblings so different with their issues then?

  Modern dentistry hasn’t been around for all that long. As humans we’ve been in our current state of physical development for about 100,000 years, and true dentistry wasn’t a thing until about 1723. And even back then the standards for what was known and acceptable as practices wasn’t as defined as it is now. And yet even with all of our modern advances, there seems to be more cases of cavities and gum disease than ever before.

  One theory as to why this is the case, is that our modern food is that much more acidic and corrosive to our teeth. Processed foods have all manner of ingredients and these ingredients together can produce undesired results, such as tooth decay and gum inflammation. Not to mention all of the sugar that’s in foods these days. Without proper nutrition your body is unable to repair itself properly, and this leads to insufficient material for your tooth enamel to rebuild off of.

  But even beyond our nutrition and food intake, our mouths’ microbiome is becoming an increasingly interesting area of study. The importance of the gut’s microbiome, or the world of bacteria contained within it, has been recognized as incredibly important these last few decades. And scientists have found that creating a good balance of bacteria within the gut has effects leading to better moods and overall brain function. So as far as the mouth is concerned, recent studies have been finding the exact same thing as was once discovered for the gut. Creating a great balance of bacteria within the mouth’s microbiome can be incredibly important.

  Have you ever wondered why we find fossil remains of teeth that are completely intact, but the teeth within our mouths are decaying? It’s because of the balance of bacteria that’s present. Without the bad bacteria that we frequently find inside modern humans mouths, the teeth are able to stay as perfectly strong as the day they came in. But keeping this balance of good/bad bacteria in the mouth is no easy matter, and scientists, researchers, and dentists are currently exploring the best method to keep everything in order so that people everywhere can have strong and healthy teeth and gums.

Current Research: