Bristle Test

Oral Microbiome Testing with Bristle

Overview

The mouth is the gateway to the body, and at our office we are dedicated to helping you achieve optimal oral and overall health.

As part of our care, we now offer oral microbiome testing which is a simple saliva test that measures the billions of bacteria in your mouth. With this testing, we get insights into your risk for conditions like tooth decay, gum inflammation, and bad breath at the root-cause. It also provides insights into how your oral health can be contributing to other health issues like diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, heart disease, gut disorders like IBS/IBD, cancer, and more.

The results allow us to personalize your at-home hygiene and in-office care to optimize your whole-body health & wellness.

We have partnered with Bristle, the most advanced and comprehensive salivary testing company. They are the only test available that profiles the entire oral microbiome to give a complete picture of your oral health & risk factors, and their protocols are backed by decades of scientific research.

It’s easy to test and we can collect your saliva sample in less than a minute at your next appointment.

What is the oral microbiome and how does it affect your health?

The oral microbiome is the community of bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in one’s mouth. On average, an individual has between 100-150 unique species of oral bacteria – some are beneficial and some harmful.

Oral infections such as cavities and gum disease as well as conditions like halitosis (bad breath) are caused by high levels of certain harmful bacteria.

Research has also shown that these oral bacteria are associated with conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, gut disorders, cardiovascular disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and other chronic conditions.

You can’t be healthy without a healthy mouth and we are committed to providing you comprehensive whole-body care.

Why is oral microbiome testing important?

For decades, dental offices have relied on tools like x-rays to evaluate a patient’s oral health. Due to advancements in lab testing, we now have the ability to look deeper by analyzing all the bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the mouth.

With comprehensive oral microbiome testing, we can identify the bacteria that are specifically causing or increasing your risk for diseases like cavities and gum disease. We can then tailor your at-home and in-office care plan to target the harmful bacteria and rebalance your mouth for optimal health.

Salivary testing also allows us to catch the earliest signs of oral diseases so we can prevent them before they require more invasive treatment!

Oral microbiome testing is the newest tool for preventing and treating oral diseases to ensure you have a healthy mouth & body.

Offering Bristle testing

We work with Bristle, the only comprehensive oral microbiome test to identify all the bacterial species in your saliva and how they impact your oral & overall health. It’s a simple, non-invasive saliva test that we collect at the beginning of your appointment.

Bristle’s laboratory analyzes all 700+ bacteria and fungi found in the mouth to provide an in-depth report with:

Your risk for conditions like tooth decay, gum inflammation, and bad breath (halitosis)

Insights into how your oral bacteria can be contributing to overall health conditions like gut disorders

Personalized diet, lifestyle, and oral care product recommendations based on your test results to help us prevent & treat diseases and improve your oral & overall health

The Bristle test allows us to detect the specific bacteria that may be impacting your health & wellbeing and then customize our treatment and care plan to be targeted and most effective.

As a patient, you will get to see your health scores for different conditions and receive actionable recommendations on how you can improve (beyond brushing, flossing, and avoiding sugar!).

Together, we can quantifiably monitor your progress and track how changes you make at-home and treatments in-office impact your health.

Your health and wellness are our priority, and this simple saliva test is an incredible tool to help keep you healthy now & in the future.