Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

Preventing Dental Plaque Formation Forever: Simple Solution

Apr 21, 2024

05:04

Snipd AI

Learn how to prevent dental plaque formation by understanding the role of friendly mouth microbes and the risks of certain stressors like poor diet and antibiotics. Discover how chemicals in dental products can mimic antibiotics and increase tooth decay risk. Find out why it's important to filter fluoride from your water and reintroduce good microbes with probiotics for oral health.

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Quick takeaways

Dental plaque results from a shift in mouth microbe relationship; stress factors like diet, sugar, and antibiotics contribute to its formation.

Controversy surrounds fluoride in dental products and water; lacking randomized studies advise using water filters and fluoride-free toothpaste for oral health.

Deep dives

Understanding Dental Plaque Formation

Dental plaque, a biofilm of microbes that can lead to gingivitis, bad breath, and tooth decay, is a result of a shift from a friendly commensal relationship to a pathogenic one in the mouth. Plaque forms a protective shell around microbes when stress factors like improper diet, sugar, smoking, alcohol, and antibiotics disrupt the balance. Chemicals like chlorhexidine in mouthwash can mimic antibiotics, altering the microbial balance, and fluoride in toothpaste and water supply poses risks. The speaker suggests using water filters to remove fluoride, opting for fluoride-free toothpaste, and consuming probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut and kefir to restore microbial balance and reduce plaque.

Understanding Dental Plaque Formation and Microbial Balance in the Mouth

2min

Exploring Risks of Dental Products and the Role of Probiotics in Oral Health

3min

In this podcast, I’m going to tell you how to stop dental plaque formation in its tracks. Dental plaque is a biofilm of microbes. A biofilm is a calcium shell built to protect a group of microbes. Plaque is one of the primary causes of gingivitis, bad breath, and tooth decay. You can brush and floss regularly and still get plaque!

Your mouth contains the second-largest group of microbes in your body. The majority of these microbes are known as commensal, so they’re not necessarily friendly but also not unfriendly. If you kill them, you could end up with a candida infection or oral thrush.

Plaque develops when this friendly relationship turns into a pathogenic relationship. Dental plaque biofilms can develop under stress! Poor diet, sugar consumption, smoking, alcohol, and antibiotics can also contribute to dental plaque formation.

Certain chemicals can mimic antibiotics in the mouth. Ironically, chlorhexidine, the main chemical in mouthwash, mimics antibiotics in the mouth. It also increases acidity and the risk of tooth decay.

Fluoride is in the majority of toothpastes and our water supply. It’s been around for 60 years, but there have never been any randomized controlled trials on fluoride in our water.

Fluoride is not controlled by the FDA, CDC, EPA, or the American Dental Association—it's controlled by a private entity. It’s best to filter your water to remove fluoride.

You’ll want to get the good microbes back into your mouth to remove dental plaque. Consume probiotic-rich foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kefir.

If you chew gum, make sure to choose xylitol gum.

DATA:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...