What Bacteria Are In Your Mouth?
What bacteria are in your mouth? It has been shown that there are about 100 million bacteria in every millimeter of saliva. They are part of more than 600 species of bacteria! In reality, the mouth has the perfect conditions for an infinite number of microorganisms to take refuge in it.
Many bacteria in your mouth do not survive long. Many of them are attacked by enzymes in saliva, while another end up in the digestive system, where they are quickly destroyed.
That being said, we should also mention a group of bacteria that manage to survive and end up living in the mouth. When this happens, problems such as cavities or other diseases can occur. The best way to fight bacteria in the mouth is proper oral hygiene.
What bacteria are in your mouth?
Saliva and bacteria
Factors such as tooth loss and diseases such as gingivitis, alveolitis or periodontitis can cause changes in the saliva microbiota. Smoking and poor hygiene can also affect the bacterial colony in the mouth.
The oral mucosa
- Firmicutes – mainly those of the genera Streptococcus and Veillonellas
- Proteobacteria – especially Neisseria
- Bacteroides – Prevotella
- Actinobacteria – Micrococcineae
Bacteria on the teeth
Gums and bacteria
Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia may also be present on the surface of the gum biofilm. In addition, there may be viruses and sometimes microorganisms such as fungi. However, oral diseases alter the bacteria found in the oral cavity.
Bacteria on the tongue
In addition, there are gram-negative anaerobic cocci and gram-positive anaerobic bacilli on the tongue. There may also be a lower percentage of various species of the genera Lactobacillus, Neisseria, Fusobacterium and Haemophilus.
At the top of the tongue of people with halitosis, we find Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia.
If you have questions or if it’s been a long time since you last checked your mouth, go to the doctor!
