From teeth to cheeks, our mouths house an array of lifeforms – and we need them all in order to be protected from infections and invasive species

From the polar oceans to tropical jungles, the planet is filled with all manner of habitats for diverse life. But we don’t have to look far to find places teeming with critters. We have one within our bodies: our mouths. Second only to the gut, the mouth is the most fertile habitat for life in the human body and is home to many types of viruses, fungi, protozoa, and more than 700 species of bacteria. To these tiny lifeforms, your mouth is a thriving landscape where different zones, such as your teeth, tongue, palate, cheeks and gums provide hard and soft terrains with varied niches for bacteria to cluster in and compete to survive.

We may be told from a young age that microbes are disgusting and dangerous, but their presence in our bodies is extremely important. The oral microbiome, communities of microorganisms living in our mouths, plays a fascinating and often symbiotic role in maintaining overall oral health, as well as systemic health. In fact, its presence not only assists with breaking down food and maintaining oral hygiene, but also controls more harmful organisms that enter the mouth. When everything is in balance, the microorganisms that support the mouth’s normal functions are able to live in harmony. It is therefore worth getting to know some of the more important critters that live in our mouths and how to create a healthy home for them. Welcome to the oral safari …

The first group of organisms on our tour is a genus of fungi called Candida. In healthy bodies, Candida colonises the mouth, throat and gut, and can live in mucous membranes without causing harm. If conditions change, such as when a host’s immune system is weakened or antibiotics affect the natural balance of microbes in the body, they can multiply out of control and cause oral candidiasis. This is typified by an unpleasant taste in the mouth, sore tongue and gums, difficulty eating and drinking, and a characteristic white-stippling appearance that you may know as oral thrush. While treatments can be bought from a pharmacist, healthy mouths are home to another fungus that helps control Candida populations under normal conditions.

In the past 10 years, research has suggested that Pichia, a little-known yeast-like fungus, produces an antifungal chemical that interferes with Candida growth. It achieves this by stopping the more harmful fungus from creating biofilms, sticky mats that form multi-layered matrixes that allow them, and many other oral organisms, to adhere to their chosen surface.

Lots of species of bacteria also create biofilms to colonise the mouth. This is the stuff plaque is made of, which is often produced by bacteria that convert sugar particles into acids. Plaque is natural and contributes to the normal development of the mouth’s physiology and defences in a healthy mouth. If the balance is disturbed, such as when we consume too much sugar, carbohydrates, or fizzy drinks, then it too can become an issue.

In an unhealthy host, the acid produced by bacteria lowers the mouth’s natural pH levels, allowing more harmful acidogenic and acid-tolerant bacteria, such as Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus, to become dominant. Left unchecked, plaque continues to build up and hardens into tartar. The acid produced by the bacteria then weakens teeth and gums, contributing to tooth decay and cavities by gradually dissolving the enamel and dentine that protect them.

Similarly, gum disease is caused by anaerobic bacteria called Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola, which live in the plaque and cause the gums to become inflamed and prone to bleeding during brushing. If left untreated, the plaque buildup will cause gingivitis, which may lead to periodontitis, where the natural gap between the tooth and gum deepens due to increased inflammation to form pockets. Over time, these gaps fill with more plaque and can become infected, and can lead to tooth loss.

The key to preventing this and for maintaining the correct balance in your mouth’s ecology is a good oral regime. Amanda Sheehan, clinical and educational support specialist at TePe, a brand that specialises in products that help keep mouths healthy, says: “The most important thing we can do is to have an effective oral hygiene routine – brushing twice daily.” One of those cleans should ideally take place before bed, Sheehan says. “When we sleep our saliva flow decreases, leaving the mouth more vulnerable to the effects of acid attacks.” But regular brushing is just part of the process, as it only cleans up to 60% of the tooth’s surfaces. “We need to use an interdental brush to clean the interdental spaces to reach up to the 40% surface area that regular brushing alone can’t reach.”

By using interdental brushes, such as those produced by TePe, we can mechanically remove plaque and reduce the need to use harsh chemical products for the same purpose. These more extreme dental interventions may help clean our mouths, but they can also kill both the “good” and the “bad” organisms living there. Without our tiny protectors, our mouths are vulnerable to opportunistic infections and invasive species. So with an effective brushing routine, as well as a healthy lifestyle and diet, we can maintain an ideal environment where our personal microbiomes continue to thrive.

For more information, visit tepe.com/uk/sustainable-idb