Mark’s Must-Haves for Fresh Breath, Deep Sleep, and Better Circulation (Yes, Even There 🍆)

Valentine’s Day is here, and let’s be honest—bad breath, poor sleep, and low energy don’t exactly set the mood.

The solution? Fix your oral health, sleep, and nitric oxide levels—because they’re all connected to fresh breath, heart health, and even better blood flow (yes, that kind of blood flow).

Here’s what I use personally to keep my breath fresh, my sleep deep, and my circulation optimized—for better energy, better recovery, and better… well, you get the idea.

Use a Tongue Scraper, Ditch Mouthwash 👅
If you’re not scraping your tongue, you’re letting bad breath bacteria thrive. A coated tongue traps odor-causing bacteria, food particles, and sulfur compounds that make your breath smell less than romantic.

✔ Scraping removes this bacteria in 10 seconds.
✔ Do it every morning before brushing for instantly fresher breath.

👉 Pro Tip: If your tongue looks white or yellow, that’s a sign of bacterial overgrowth. Scraping + fixing your microbiome will help clear it up.

Beekeeper’s Naturals Propolis Throat Spray 🌟
This is a must-have for oral health and immunity.

✔ Propolis suppresses Streptococcus mutans—the bacteria that cause cavities and bad breath.
✔ Helps keep harmful bacteria from overgrowing in the back of the throat.
✔ Supports the immune system, so you’re not sidelined with a cold when it matters most.

👉 I spray this daily—especially before travel, meetings, or date night.

Take a Magnesium Supplement 🌙
Better sleep = better everything. And magnesium is critical for deep, restorative sleep. Everyone should be taking magnesium—for better sleep, better brain health, and even to help calcium do its job.

✔ Most people are deficient in magnesium—which impacts sleep, stress, energy, and even cavity risk.
✔ Take one that has all 7 forms of magnesium your body needs. This is the one I take and you can get 10% off with the code ASKTHEDENTIST. I see a dramatic difference in my Oura ring sleep scores when I take magnesium versus when I don’t, which is why I never skip it.

Take a Nasal Spray with Xylitol 👃
Bet you didn’t know your bad breath could be coming from your nose.

✔ Postnasal drip feeds bacteria in your throat, leading to bad breath.
✔ Xylitol helps prevent bacteria from sticking to nasal tissues, keeping mucus thin and clear.
✔ Clinically proven to reduce harmful bacteria and support a balanced microbiome.

👉 If you wake up with a dry mouth or bad breath, use xylitol nasal spray before bed.

Mouth Tape 😬💨
Mouth breathing = dry mouth = bad breath, poor sleep, and lower nitric oxide levels.

✔ Mouth tape trains you to breathe through your nose, preventing dry mouth and bad breath.
✔ Increases nitric oxide production, which improves blood flow, heart health, and… 🍆 function (for both men and women!).
✔ Leads to deeper, more restorative sleep (more REM, more deep sleep).

👉 If you snore, wake up with a dry mouth or drool on your pillow, or if you just feel groggy in the morning—start mouth taping. It’s a game-changer.

Test Your Oral Microbiome 🧐
You cannot manage what you do not measure. I recommend everyone test their oral microbiome. Your breath, gum health, and even risk for cavities all come down to your oral bacteria. At-home microbiome tests like this one can help you see if bad bacteria are overgrowing and what to do about it.

👉 A balanced microbiome = fresher breath, healthier gums, and better long-term health.

Eat Dark Chocolate (85%+ Cocoa) 🍫
Yes, chocolate—but the right kind!

✔ Dark chocolate (85%+ cocoa) is rich in theobromine, which strengthens enamel better than fluoride.
✔ Increases nitric oxide production, supporting circulation and heart health.
✔ Contains polyphenols that fight bad bacteria in the mouth.

👉 Pro Tip: Choose a brand with only two or three ingredients, small batch, and minimal sugar.

Fygg Prebiotic Toothpaste 🧬
Most toothpastes kill bacteria—even the good ones.
✔ Fygg Prebiotic Toothpaste feeds your good bacteria so they can crowd out the bad ones.
✔ No fluoride, no detergents—just microbiome-friendly ingredients.
✔ Supports strong teeth, healthy gums, and naturally fresh breath.

👉 Think of it like tending a garden. Prebiotics don’t kill bacteria—they feed the good ones so they can thrive and keep harmful bacteria in check. 🌱

💨 If you’ve ever worried about bad breath—or want to make sure your partner never has to bring it up—don’t just mask it, fix it at the root.

✔ Ditch the antibacterial mouthwash that wipes out good bacteria.
✔ Support your oral microbiome with a prebiotic toothpaste like Fygg.
✔ Scrape your tongue, stay hydrated, and breathe through your nose to keep bad breath away.
✔ Optimize your sleep and circulation with magnesium and nasal breathing—because better health leads to better everything.

To your great health,

Mark

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P.S. There’s a new study coming out soon comparing Fygg to other toothpastes, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Stay tuned—I think it’s going to change the conversation around hydroxyapatite versus fluoride in a big way. Any guesses as to what it might be? Hit reply!

This newsletter is sponsored by BiOptimizers—my go-to magnesium supplement. I recommend it to all my patients, not just for better sleep, but also for cavity prevention and even reversal. Use code ASKTHEDENTIST for 10% off at checkout.

I often hear from people who say, “Magnesium didn’t work for me,” and my first question is: Were you getting all seven forms? Most supplements only contain one or two, but your body needs all seven for full benefits. If you know me, you know I’m extremely picky about supplements. BiOptimizers is one of the few brands I trust, thanks to their rigorous third-party testing and comprehensive formulation.