Did you know that many of our diseases start in the mouth? The state of our so-called "oral microbiome" tells us a lot about our health. So in this blog, we explain why good oral hygiene is very important and share tips to optimize your oral health. Keep your mouth healthy! How? Find out in this blog!

Keep your mouth healthy, why is good oral hygiene so important?

More than 700 different types of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi live in your mouth. You can think of it as a mini-ecosystem, a tropical rainforest. 

Some of these bacteria, viruses and fungi are harmful, causing wounds or inflammation in the mouth. If they enter the bloodstream through these openings, they can cause (serious) infections. Poor oral health can lead to headaches, fatigue, eczema, insomnia and allergies. In severe cases, it can even cause infections such as pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. 

Your body is one entity!

As you may already know, your entire body is closely interconnected. Your oral health affects the health of your body, but this also works the other way. So do you (unconsciously) suffer from low-grade inflammation? Then wounds in your mouth are more likely to develop, allowing even more "junk" to pass through.

Your mouth is one of the barriers that should keep bad bacteria from entering. Is this barrier open, so to speak? Then your immune system has to work even harder.

Here's how to take good care of your mouth

In short; your oral health is incredibly important to your overall health. Factors that negatively impact the oral microbiome include stress, sugar, antibiotics and poor oral hygiene.

Most microorganisms in the mouth are unicellular, covered with a greasy flexible shell. You can't get rid of them by brushing your teeth. Water doesn't dissolve grease, and a toothbrush can't reach everything so easily.

Fat does dissolve with grease, which is why we are big fans of oil pulling! You take oil in your mouth and use it to flush out harmful microorganisms. This Ayurvedic ritual has been used in different cultures for over 2000 years.

Oil pulling

Take one tablespoon of organic sesame -or coconut oil in your mouth and swish it firmly for about 15 `s 20 minutes. After a while the oil has turned milky white in color and spit it out in the trash. Preferably do this daily in the morning, you can gradually build up the time.