Have you seen the commercials with Jamie Lee Curtis for Activia- the probiotic yogurt to aid digestive health? Well, I think we need to hire her to tout the benefits or oral probiotics. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.

The gum diseases gingivitis and periodontitis are caused by bacteria and their by products. For years we dentists have stressed how important daily brushing and flossing are to removing these harmful bacteria and their by products. Those that didn’t do a good job of oral hygiene  would soon find themselves showing the signs and  symptoms of gum disease - red, swollen,bleeding  gums, with associated bad breath and often discomfort.

What often stumped dentists was that sometimes even those with good oral hygiene would exhibit these signs. In our office we  have found that by adding a daily probiotic oral mint, EvoraPro,  to good oral hygiene we have been able to eleminate or greatly minimize these symtoms of gum inflammation. Each EvoraPro oral probiotic mint has live “good” bacteria which compete with the bad bacteria, thus forcing the bad bugs  and their disease and inflammation causing by products out of the mouth. With all the new knowledge of how harmful chronic inflammation is to our health(increases chances of stroke,heart attack, diabetes, etc) this simple addition of a daily mint to good oral hygiene is an effective tool in our battle to stay healthy.

You still need to practice good oral hygiene, get proper nutrition, and see your dentist regularly, but we have found the  inexpensive addition of EvoraPro probiotics to this  daily regimen to be a great help.