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How often do you stop to consider how your oral health may be affecting your overall health?
In this blog we’ll dive into the world of your mouth. You’ll learn about the complex community of microbes living there and how they can influence your health.
This often-overlooked community of bacteria, viruses, and fungi naturally lives in your mouth. They inhabit the surfaces of your teeth, gums, tongue, and the inside of your cheeks. Your saliva is packed full of these bacteria. Your oral microbiome is the little sibling of your gut microbiome, and it influences and is affected by what happens in your gut.
The types of bacteria in your oral microbiome are similar to those found in your gut microbiome, but not identical. As the entry to your digestive tract, your oral microbiome assists with the initial stages of digestion.
In a healthy body, friendly microbes would keep any pathogenic bacteria in check. However, if this bacterial community becomes skewed towards disease-producing species, the outcome can be gingivitis, gum disease, and dental caries. This is because pathogenic bacteria produce acids when they feed on sugars and carbohydrates. These acids attack and weaken the protective enamel covering the surface of the teeth.
The inflammation created by these bacteria can lead to gum disease.
Therefore, if you experience bleeding gums, sensitive teeth, or gingivitis, these can be signs of a disordered oral microbiome. Bad breath is caused by gases produced by errant bacteria in your mouth.
When you swallow food or saliva, microbes from your mouth migrate down into your gut and influence conditions there. On the other hand, oral bacteria can easily access your bloodstream, travelling around your body. A disordered oral microbiome has been linked to a number of health conditions.
One particular species of disease-producing bacterium found in the mouth, called P. gingivalis, is a key player in gum disease. This microbe seems to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (1). It can cause inflammation of the heart valves and the surrounding blood vessels. It is tolerant of acid conditions, so can survive the stomach acid and reach the intestines. Once there, it may cause dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome, and widespread inflammation. Scientists have discovered other pathogenic bacteria found in the mouth living within plaques inside the arteries (2).
Poor oral health is also connected with atrial fibrillation, disordered cholesterol levels, and obesity.
Autoimmune issues like rheumatoid arthritis are linked to dysbiosis of the oral microbiome (3). If pathogenic bacteria from the mouth reach the gut, they can provoke the immune system into producing inflammatory molecules.
Your mouth and your brain are closely connected. Pathogenic bacteria in the mouth can influence brain health by crossing the barrier between the blood and the brain and creating inflammation there. The sneaky P. gingivalis, already implicated in poor heart health, has been found in the brain. It’s thought this bacterium may promote the formation of misfolded proteins, a key factor in Alzheimer’s disease (4). Other pathogenic bacteria, including the inflammation-provoking F. nucleatum, known to cause gum disease, are linked with Alzheimer’s, too.
All this means the key to good health may lie in your mouth.
Because your oral microbiome and your gut microbiome are so closely linked, if you want to look after your mouth, you need to consider your gut, too. In fact, no one part of your body works in isolation, so it’s crucial to look at your body as a connected whole.
Here at the Forbes Clinic, we aim to discover the root causes of ill-health. This means diving down into what’s happening within your body to create your adverse symptoms. We offer expert-led testing to evaluate the health of your gut microbiome, supported by practitioner interpretation.
If you feel your oral health might be the missing piece in the jigsaw of your optimal health journey, we’re here to help. Start your personalised health programme today by booking an Integrative Health Assessment.
