Did you realize that childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in America? Dr. Reid and Dr. Brianna are always looking for the newest research in cavity prevention – and at our office, we are ramping up our defenses against decay with oral probiotics!

But what ARE oral probiotics? Well, it all starts with bacteria. Our mouths are home to millions of bacteria, both good and bad. In the last few years, probiotics have been cropping up in yogurts and pills to help improve the bacteria in our digestive tracts. Scientists have also analyzed bacteria in the mouths of those “lucky people” who never seem to get cavities. They have isolated healthy bacteria that crowd out the bad, cavity-causing bacteria, and put it into dissolvable tablets.

Who should be taking oral probiotics? Anyone who wants to! Not only are they designed to help change the bacteria in your mouth to prevent decay, but they have some positive effects on the ear, nose, and throat system as well! Some researchers recommend against trying these if you have a compromised immune system or pregnancy, although no adverse effects have been observed.

How do I use them? We recommend you follow your regular nightly oral hygiene regimen and then dissolve a tablet in your mouth and swish for one minute. Then while you are sleeping the good bacteria will set up shop! We recommend you do this every night for one month, then maintain the results by doing a one month regimen every six months.

Where can I get oral probiotics? As a convenience, we have them available in our office at cost. Additionally, you can find them in a few drug stores – but they aren’t very popular yet. Amazon also carries several different varieties (just make sure you get the “oral probiotics” or “probiotics for dental health”).

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions, visit the links below or call our office!

If you want to know more, click here:

https://www.hyperbiotics.com/products/pro-dental

http://www.mychildrensteeth.org/assets/2/7/ECCstats.pdf