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Research shows the mouth is the gateway to the rest of our bodies. There is a critical link between our oral health and systemic health. (1) Preventive oral care and dentistry are your first line of defense in order to prevent common problems from developing into more serious health concerns. Here at Bow Family Dentistry, our goal is to help you reach optimal oral health, in order to achieve total body wellness.
Biohacking means improving human health with non-traditional methods such as technology, science, and lifestyle changes to optimize your body and mind. We can help you improve your oral health, and therefore your systemic health, with a simple non-invasive test.
You may find yourself taking a Saliva Test at our office during your New Patient Appointment or one of your regularly scheduled hygiene visits. This allows us to identify and quantify harmful bacteria that may be in your mouth. Some of these oral pathogens are found in other tissues and other parts of the body, and involved in systemic diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease/attack, stroke, and diabetes, cancers, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, adverse pregnancy outcomes, high blood pressure, inflammatory bowel disease, fatty liver disease and MS.
Our Simply Perio™ saliva tests look for bacteria causing periodontal disease, but also bacteria causing decay, implant infections, and active viruses, fungal / yeast infections. It identifies which patients have active disease states or maintaining stability; determines if chronic, persistent disease has been adequately treated, and provides early warning signs of oral pathogens in order to create personalized treatment.
Not all oral pathogens respond to the same treatment. Some do not respond to many products or even deep cleanings/scaling, and root planing. Knowing what our patients are infected with allows us to personalize their treatment and gives them a better chance for success. When we see AA, PG, TD, or TF, or a combination of them, our patients’ treatment needs to be more aggressive since the infection is many times worse than with only one of them alone. We can also select our patients who may be immunosuppressed with diabetes, any kind of heart disease, or a history of stroke, and give them more aggressive treatment. The rise in inflammation in the body is not isolated from the increase in inflammation in the mouth, and many systemic diseases are known to be inflammatory diseases.
A common misconception is that symptoms like bleeding and inflammation in the mouth are normal and will remain in the mouth only. In reality, they are red flags for systemic (whole body) issues. For example, certain pathogens can put you at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart disease. (2)
There is a CAUSAL role of periodontal pathogens in a variety of systemic diseases through the oral-gut axis, the oral-gut-liver axis, and the oral-gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis of disease. (3)
Based on a study done in 2024 and found in the Journal of Periodontology (4), there is a preclinical phase of Periodontal Disease with no clinical signs and symptoms, but there is a tremendous amount happening: once the bacteria is there, this leads to the body’s inflammatory response, then dysbiosis occurs. At this stage, the bacteria can cross over to the rest of the body, and the systemic inflammatory response begins. This is what can lead to many illnesses. The only way to find who is at risk is to test our patients.
Once the bacteria are identified, the plan can be made to remove them, possibly forever. Some of the more virulent bacteria need your deep cleaning to be supplemented with systemic antibiotics. These virulent bacteria are protected by encapsulation, and once this is “popped” during the deep cleaning, the antibiotics can do their job and kill the bacteria in the bloodstream. Neither the deep cleaning nor the systemic antibiotics work alone – if they did, 80% of the world’s population would not have periodontal disease. But when used together, they work synergistically and eliminate the bacteria. We measure this with post-testing the day after the antibiotics are finished. The bacteria we are testing for are Red and Orange Complex. The Orange complex is much easier to treat; they respond to great home care and microbiome-friendly products. Hydrogen peroxide, bleach, and Chlorohexidine are known to NOT be microbiome friendly, as in they kill ALL the germs, not just the bad guys.
Red Complex Bacteria are the ones with the protective capsule. These red complex control the ENTIRE microbiome. They are resistant to treatment and products. These are the bacteria that can cross ALL barriers in the body: epithelial linings from your mouth through your gut, the Blood Brain Barrier, the placenta, breast milk, etc. This is why these bacteria are found in so many systemic diseases. These bacteria are protected by the ECM, the extracellular matrix, which prevents antibiotics and products from reaching bacteria within biofilms. (This is where the antibiotics and the deep cleaning work TOGETHER). Red Complex bacteria transfer their DNA to others to make good guys bad.
If not eliminated by the antibiotics and deep cleaning together, within 3-7 days, these red complexes are back due to swallowing it from the saliva to the GI tract, crossing the linings in the body, and entering the bloodstream. This is why traditional therapy is ineffective. Of course, brushing and flossing are key for at-home care, but for the Red Complex bacteria, these techniques are not enough to eliminate them.
One of the pieces of information we get from testing is whether or not our patients have the bacteria that cause decay (Streptococcus Mutans). Using this information, we can design a treatment protocol to counteract these bacteria BEFORE you get cavities. There are preventive treatments that we can do that are much more cost-effective than treating cavities!
Another amazing insight we receive from testing is whether or not our patients have the bacteria that can cause implants to fail (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and how much of it they have. This is important because we can use this information preventively if possible and start our patients on a treatment protocol to get their mouth as healthy as possible BEFORE they have costly implant placement.
What if one of the greatest secrets to health is understanding the critical pathways of Airway and Sleep Disordered Breathing, causing a shift in microbiome to oral pathogens that cross linings of the body and can embed in vascular plaques?
Plaque in the mouth = plaque in the heart = plaque in the brain. A study in 2021, Pathogens Oct 10 (6) showed the link between vascular changes and hypoxia in periodontal disease and its link to systemic complications. This can be caused simply by mouth breathing, which creates a more acidic environment and therefore less healthy bacteria. Once more, pathogens are being produced. Less nitrate is being reduced to Nitric Oxide.
We have 10,000 miles of vascular system that needs to be BATHED in nitric oxide in order to stay flexible. There are specific bacteria that show up in a certain order if our patients have any kind of SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING. This may mean sleep apnea (full hypoxia events), but it also can be simple states of desaturation. We can treat this preventively with products that contain or promote Nitric Oxide production. Our cardiovascular system has
Probiotics are live microorganisms (bacteria and yeasts) that have beneficial effect on and inside our bodies. Also known as “good” or “friendly” germs. These microorganisms repair our epithelium which is important so that we don’t have leaky linings. Leaky gums lead to leaky gut and leaky cardiovascular system.
Trillions of these microorganisms already exist in our bodies. By consuming probiotic supplements, you are increasing the existing population of the friendly microbes. These invisible heroes support important body functions and our overall health. Their presence also crowds out the potentially harmful bacteria, promoting a healthy microbiome.
Probiotics improve digestion, enhance nutrient absorption and help support a strong immune system. Some probiotics are oral supplements designed to be ingested into your GI (gastrointestinal) tract. In balanced conditions, the good bacteria outnumber the bad guys. Stress, overuse of antibiotics or antibacterial products, even low fiber diets can all make it tougher to keep the balance.
The best GI probiotics have specific stains of bacteria that have been shown to survive the harsh conditions of the GI tract and adhere to the intestinal epithelium to deliver superior results.
Oral Probiotics specifically help bring back the good bacteria in our mouths to create a healthy, balanced microbiome. Oral probiotics contain species that are native to the mouth, teeth, and gums.
We carry several brands here at Bow Family Dentistry because we have done the research and want our patients to easily get quality brands.
We also recommend microbiome friendly products. These are oral products like toothpaste, floss, mouth rinses and supplements that all support the healthy bacteria in the mouth that need to be present, along with containing prebiotics, Vitamins K2 and D3 (which are necessary for bone and tooth health)