🦷 Mondays with Mark: The Missing Piece in the Oral Microbiome Discussion

I’m sharing a new study today that is a critical “missing piece” in the discussion of the oral microbiome.

Discussion of the oral microbiome tends to be focused in one particular direction. For example—we talk about how gum disease can be involved in flaring up diabetes, causative in heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

But the truth is that the relationship is bidirectional!

Systemic diseases make oral disease worse, and vice versa—but discussion is more heavily centered centered on the latter. This needs to change.

Consider this example: If a patient has diabetes, we need solid understanding of how they’re being treated for the diabetes and how well blood sugar levels can be controlled. Without concrete data from the treating MD on the state of the patient’s diabetes, you’re practicing (or your dentist is practicing) blind.

Patients and practitioners alike need to be aware that systemic disease may alter the host response to oral bacteria.

More study is needed, and this two-way connection is complex, but it needs to be appreciated by both dentists and physicians alike.

🎧 Episode #55: Tonsil Stones, Bad Breath and Grinding: What’s the Connection?

• Why I recommend holding off on tonsil surgery [0:06:47]
• What to look for if you think you have a tonsil stone [0:08:33]
• The microbiome of the tonsils, and how it’s linked to tonsil stones [0:10:39]
• What you can do to avoid or treat tonsil stones [0:12:41]
• When to go see a dentist, and what to expect [0:14:37]
• How mouth breathing can cause tonsil stones [0:15:51]
• How a dentist can identify mouth breathing [0:18:48]
• The food, drinks, and products to avoid when dealing with tonsil stones [0:19:25]

As always, I value your feedback on the podcast. Leave me a review on iTunes or Spotify or reply to this email with your thoughts.

Have a great week,

P.S. Speaking of the oral microbiome…there is one must-read book on the topic that I recommend to everyone—patients and dentists alike—is Heal Your Oral Microbiome. I promise you won’t be able to put it down.