Oral microbiome: Understanding the impact of bacteria on oral health

If you could look into your mouth with a powerful microscope, you’d find it’s home to hundreds of different types of bacteria. This living biofilm is with you your entire life, busily working away as an ecosystem of microorganisms. Though some people shudder at the thought of bacteria in the mouth, your health wouldn’t be the same without them!

This thriving community of tiny organisms is known as your oral microbiome. But what are your bacteria buddies doing as they lurk between your teeth, and could the mouth microbiome play a part in your body’s overall health? To understand more about the secrets of your mouth, let’s start by asking ‘What is a microbiome?’.

What is a microbiome?

Your mouth is a pretty packed place! After the gut, it’s got the second-highest number of bacteria with 700 different species in total, creating a whole community of microorganisms hanging out in your mouth.¹

What's interesting is that this ecosystem is closely linked to oral health. When in balance, you won't notice it's there at all, but when bad bacteria start to outnumber the good, you may notice dental hygiene problems. This imbalance of the oral biome is known as oral dysbiosis, and it’s worth paying attention to it for good dental hygiene.

The most common signs that good bacteria in the mouth are fighting a losing battle include bad breath, dental caries, and periodontitis (gum disease).²

Oral microbiome and your health

It makes a lot of sense that bad bacteria lead to dental problems, but the oral microbiome gains even more significance when you start looking at health around the body.

When working well, the good oral bacteria in your mouth bring plenty of benefits to your overall health. Streptococcus salivarius, for example, is a friendly bacterium that can reduce inflammation, making it more than welcome as part of your oral biome.³

But, when the synergy of the bacteria in your mouth is thrown off, there's evidence that it creates a domino effect of problems throughout your body. The bad bacteria move down your digestive tract and start working their way through your systems, leading to several potential health risks. This includes a rise in cardiovascular disease and cancer.²

Mouth microbiome: Are your dental tools helping?

To maintain a healthy mouth and body, you need to encourage good bacteria. In mouth hygiene, that means choosing the right dental tools for your needs.

The NHS advises that everybody brush and floss their teeth twice a day for optimal hygiene.⁴ It’s important, too, that your toothbrush can reach all the corners of your mouth and get into any hard-to-reach areas.

If your current brush isn’t providing you with that deep clean, consider the Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige with SenseIQ. Using innovative technology that senses pressure, coverage, and motion, it works hard to help you brush in a way that’s right for your teeth, which could contribute to a healthy oral biome. In as little as two weeks, simply switching from a manual brush to Sonicare 9900 Prestige increases plaque removal by 20x⁵ and promotes 15x healthier gums.⁶ That’s a win for your pearly whites!

You can mix and match your toothbrush heads, too, for a deep clean that’s tailored to your teeth. Not including our One Brush Heads and Kids Brush Heads, our entire range of brush heads can be used with your Sonicare handle. For good oral bacteria, take a look at these brush heads:

• G3 Premium Gum - Focus on healthy teeth and gums with 10x more plaque removal and increased gum contact
• A3 All-in-One - A superior brush head for the ultimate clean, with a triangle-shaped front that effectively removes 20x more plaque⁵ and achieves up to 100% stain reduction⁶
• S2 Sensitive - Sensitive teeth deserve a deep clean; remove 10x more plaque in hard-to-reach areas⁷ with gentle bristles

And there are more tools to help you keep your mouth clean and help to promote a healthy oral microbiome:

• Water flossers. These devices, like Philips’ Power Flosser, gently pulsate water to remove tricky bacteria and debris lodged between your teeth, which may reduce gum inflammation and bleeding while providing a deep clean.⁸
• Tongue scrapers. Finish up your bacteria-friendly routine with tongue scraping, which can remove debris, bacteria and dead cells from the surface of your tongue for fresher breath and a healthier microbiome.⁹
  

How to maintain good bacteria in the mouth

By upgrading your teeth cleaning routine with an electric toothbrush and water flosser, you could be encouraging good bacteria in the mouth. A thorough cleaning twice a day removes bad bacteria and plaque build up from your teeth.⁴ To maintain your new and improved dental hygiene, remember to replace your brush heads every 3 months, too, and start fresh with clean, bacteria-fresh bristles.

Does diet affect the microbiome of the mouth?

There’s evidence to suggest that other lifestyle choices, including diet, can affect good bacteria. In mouth biome studies, a few foods have been identified as potentially damaging to a healthy mouth microbiome, including processed foods and dairy.¹⁰High sugar intake has also been found to alter the oral biome, increasing the number of bacteria that can cause dental caries.¹¹

Research indicates, too, that smoking can reduce healthy bacteria and increase the proliferation of bad bacteria in the mouth.¹² Under certain circumstances, this could be linked to the higher risk factor of other diseases seen in those who smoke, showing just how crucial it is that you take care of your mouth and promote healthy oral bacteria by following a healthy lifestyle.

Remember, though, that your first line of defence when it comes to protecting the good bacteria in your mouth is to keep up a good dental hygiene routine. Brush your teeth properly for better health!¹¹¹²