You’ve Got Bacteria in your Mouth! Peeewww!
You’ve Got Bacteria in your Mouth! Peeewww!
Are you surprised to learn that your mouth is a favorite destination for bacteria? Consider the environment you offer: one hundred percent humidity, warmth, and a steady source of food. What more could a bacterium want? As a matter of fact, it is said that the average human mouth is host to more than five hundred different kinds of bacteria, of which only about fifty have been named. In addition to the foregoing, at any given time your mouth also plays host to over one hundred different kinds of fungi, viruses, and even protozoan organisms, which is just a fancy term to denote single cell life forms.
All these life forms live together in what appears to be a complex ecosystem. Some organisms prefer to live on your tongue, while others thrive between your teeth or in pockets between your teeth and gums. As a matter of fact, you do want some of the bacteria to stay in your mouth as they are rather beneficial and actually protect you from harm. The one bad kind of bacterium that can be found in your mouth is the dreaded Streptococcus Mutans, which uses any kind of sugar left in your mouth to actually attack your teeth and cause the cavities that require the dental hygienist’s intervention.
Another rare case of bacteria causing havoc is the dreaded Vincent’s Stomatitis, also known as “trench mouth”. While the latter name refers to the fact soldiers who fought and lived in the trenches during the time of World War I were highly susceptible to this illness. It makes it appear as though this infection is no longer of issue, but in fact even today, this disease affects adolescents, teens, and even twenty-something year olds. The root cause of Vincent’s Stomatitis is a bacterial infection that inflames the gums and then causes progressively worse ulceration of the gums and the inside of the cheeks. Left unchecked, the illness may spread to the lips and beyond. It appears that oral hygiene is a powerful weapon in the fight against this disease.
Another dental disease that more of you may be familiar with is gingivitis. Long since been a staple in the admonishments to brush and floss your teeth regularly, gingivitis can occur when bacteria are allowed to accumulate in the mouth, especially in those tiny spaces between teeth and gums. At the onset, you might find that your gums bleed rather easily when you are brushing your teeth or flossing them.
As you can see, you have a lot of bacteria in your mouth that may mean you harm. While some bacteria are absolutely essential to properly digest your food and to keep the bad bacteria in check, an overwhelming amount that is allowed to accumulate without checks and balances will soon wreak havoc. To deal with bacterial in your mouth is not as hard as it may sound. As a matter of fact, there are three simple steps to take that will ensure that beneficial bacteria will abound while harmful bacteria are kept to a minimum:
Brush and floss your teeth regularly. Morning and evening brushing and flossing will go a long ways to keeping your teeth, gums, and mouth healthy, clean, and odor free. By removing food particles from tiny spaces between the teeth and gums, you are cutting down on the amount of bacteria that accumulate in your mouth overall. Additionally, such proper dental hygiene will prevent tooth decay and other periodontal diseases from taking root in your mouth.
Scrape and brush your tongue regularly. It is hard to believe, but there are some bacteria that love to live and thrive on the back of your tongue. To get rid of these, you will need to scrape the back of your tongue periodically to simply collect and dispose of them. In addition to the foregoing, it is important to also brush the back of your tongue to combat the accumulation of bacteria there.
Drink plenty of water. If you become dehydrated, your saliva production will be inhibited. The result is less fluid that will wash the inside of your mouth and dispose of the harmful bacteria there. Drinking water will have a two-fold benefit: first and foremost, it will flush harmful bacteria away from your mouth, while secondly ensuring that enough saliva can be produced to keep your mouth healthy.