I vividly remember when wellness came for our guts. We swapped glasses of orange juice for tangy apple cider vinegar, yoghurt for kefir and colelslaw for sour strands of kimchi. No longer were our good health hopes pinned solely to whole grains and sliced fruit. Instead, we learned about the importance of thriving bacterial colonies and feeding them the things they like: little sugar and lots of fermentation.
So, now that attention has turned towards the mouth, I was prepared – eager, even – to jump in. Could our tongues, teeth and gums hold the key to living and feeling better?
It all started when a new toothpaste landed on my desk. Housed in a plain cream tube – as opposed to the usual minty greens or blues – it looked more like an expensive hand cream than a traditional toothpaste, boasting notes of bergamot and verbena with names like Sassafras and Amorist. It seemed to signal a new era in mouthcare.
For Kristoffer Vural, founder of Selahatin (the brand that creates both Sassafras and Amorist toothpastes, as well as Eukalypse mouthwash), his interest in non-traditional oral care started after he suffered a stroke aged 25. “I became hypersensitive to scent and taste and eventually developed synaesthesia – a condition where you perceive taste and scent as colours,” he says.
After a year spent in hospital, during which Vural says everything felt “grey”, the colour finally returned – in the smell of fresh flowers or beautiful perfume, and sharing a coffee with a friend. “It became clear how much these small sensory moments shape our experiences.” For Vural, that included the ritual of brushing his teeth. In 2016, Selahatin – a collection of shelfie-worthy toothpastes and mouthwashes – was born, and the floodgates opened. Laro and Suri, similarly chic toothpaste and electric toothbrush brands, soon entered the oral care market, which was valued at £1.2 billion in the UK and globally at 3.4 billion in 2023.
“Poor oral health, particularly gum disease (periodontitis) has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease,” Dr Alexandra Day, dentist at The Wellington Clinic, lecturer in aesthetic medicine and advisor to Suri, tells me. “Inflammation and bacteria from the gums can enter the bloodstream and contribute to plaque build-up in arteries, which can increase the risk of heart attack and strokes.”
Growing up with family members who had Type-1 diabetes, I understood the importance of maintaining a healthy mouth – not least due to how quickly things could deteriorate if they went wrong. The part I didn’t know, though, was how oral care can contribute to healthy immune function in everyone – chronic condition or not. “The bacteria that grows in the mouth, especially in the case of gum disease, can affect the immune system,” Dr Day says. “When the body’s immune response is constantly fighting off oral infections, it may weaken the overall immune system and leave you more susceptible to other infections.”
If you thought the microbiome was something that only lived in your gut or on your skin, think again. The mouth has a complex microbiome that’s frequently changing to deal with the food we eat, drinks we consume, habits like smoking or vaping and other lifestyle factors. It includes bacteria, fungi and viruses, all of which live inside the mouth.
What about the folks who brush their teeth daily but perhaps don’t floss regularly or use a tongue scraper? Can paying more attention to oral hygiene benefit overall health? In short, yes. “The mouth, gums and teeth are connected to various systems in the body,” Dr Day repeats. “Looking after them plays a key role in protecting your heart, managing blood sugar levels and supporting your immune system.” And while that might include picking up a toothbrush with more smarts than early laptops – like the Curaprox Black Is White Hydrosonic brush – there are ancillary ways to take better care of your teeth, too.
A tongue scraper is an excellent way to remove residual bacteria sitting on the tongue, as well as leftover food particles, and to stimulate the digestive system. Similar to toothpastes and brushes, tongue scrapers have had something of a revamp, and are easily available now in copper, stainless steel and other composite iterations. Sayaah sells tongue scrapers in various shades that are designed to be used at home and on the go. Similarly, the oral care sections of online wellness concessions like Healf look more like boutiques than hempy health food stores.
So, is it that our mouths that have become more high maintenance, or is it how we generally approach looking after ourselves that has changed? Likely both. In the modern age of processed and ultra-processed foods (not to mention butterscotch, blue ice and raspberry blast vapes), oral care is that much more important. And having an aesthetic-looking tube of toothpaste is an added bonus.
“Toothpaste is one of the most essential items in a bathroom,” Vural points out. “If you could only keep one product, it would likely be toothpaste. And yet it’s the one thing we hide when guests come over. That never made sense to me. Why shouldn’t something you use every day be beautiful?”
Troubleshoot your oral hygiene with Dr Day
- “A common oral health mistake I see people make is to rinse rather than spit,” she tells me. “The last thing on your teeth at the end of your oral hygiene routine should be the thing that gives you the most protection, so simply spit out any excess fluoride toothpaste and don’t rinse with mouthwash or water. Mouthwash is great to have with you on the go, for after a lunch or snack, but don’t use it after brushing!”
- “People often underestimate, or don’t fully understand, the importance of inter-dental cleaning,” says Dr Day. “The gaps between your teeth are at highest risk for the development of gum disease and tooth decay, so it’s absolutely vital that you are flossing/inter-dental cleaning at least once a day.”
“I think it’s very common for people to think they should immediately brush their teeth after eating an acidic food or drink, but you should actually wait 30 minutes before brushing,” she cautions. “This is because brushing immediately after an acidic meal can cause enamel to soften and become worn when brushing.”
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