The Mouth Microbiome During The COVID-19 pandemic: “The Mask Mouth.”
dr.vanta
Most of your friendly bacteria are found in the gut. Your gut flora is :
It is essential for your development and keeps your immune system healthy
It plays a critical role in digestion and nutrition. For example, without gut microbes, you could not digest many foods, mostly plant compounds.
Your microbiome has a powerful impact on your mood, your thoughts and emotions. The altered gut microbiome is currently linked with depression and anxiety and how you engage socially. Note: I’m not sure how well your gut microbiome deals with all this stress and social distancing, but future research will tell us.
Maintains healthy gut permeability
Protects against “bad” bacteria overgrowth
Helps make vitamins including some B and K vitamins
Influences gene expressions (related to inflammation and autoimmunity). Therefore, it helps prevent a wide range of chronic diseases- from diabetes to cancer. More details about your gut microbiome here and specific changes associated with MS here.
However, friendly bacteria are everywhere- in the mouth, nose, vagina, lungs, skin, and even brain!
What is “Mouth Mask”
Wearing the mask is becoming the norm, and we have a new problem called “mask mouth” that causes: skin irritation and redness around the mouth and bad, sour breath. Dentists suspect this condition will lead to all kinds of dental diseases like decaying teeth, receding gum lines, and chronic bad breath.
But we will likely see more complications because the mouth microbiome is connected with the microbiomes from the gut and other organs. Past studies indicate that the mouth microbiome contains over 700 microbial species, including plenty of Streptococcus strains. An unhealthy microbiome is found in periodontal diseases, dental caries, dental implants, weight gain, lupus, diabetes, digestive disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and various cancers.
Solutions For Mouth Mask
What is the solution?
Wash your mouth more often. You can use hydrogen peroxide 1.5% as a mouth wash.
Supplements: Neem and L.salivarius.
Neem has a strong detox, anti-ulcer, antimicrobial action against harmful bacteria found in the digestive tract, and is incredibly helpful for mouth health. Neem mouth wash was found in research studies to be more effective than the standard mouthwash based on chlorhexidine.
L.salivarius is a crucial player in mouth health. This probiotic produces antibiotics to fight bacteria in the mouth, helps fight Candida overgrowth, causes the gum’s inflammation, reduces the risk of cavities and strep throat infections, and much more.
