Introduction:
In the latest episode of Minty Fresh Takes, host Zander Hough is joined by Dr. Jordan Harper to explore the powerful connection between oral wellness, self-care, and beauty. They dive deep into the ways a healthy mouth not only supports overall wellness but also enhances one’s natural appearance. From the science behind a radiant smile to simple daily habits, this episode offers valuable insights for anyone looking to elevate their oral care routine and feel their best.
What impact does oral wellness have on overall beauty and wellness?
In this episode, we break down how oral health significantly contributes to one's appearance, with Dr. Harper emphasizing that a radiant smile is not only about hygiene but is central to a person’s self-presentation. Learn how integrating oral care into your self-care routine can transform both your health and confidence. For more on holistic approaches to wellness, explore our other blog post.
Video Embed:
Watch the full episode to hear Dr. Harper’s insights on how a smile impacts health and wellness, directly from Minty Fresh Takes.
Key Questions and Answers:
1. How does a healthy mouth contribute to overall beauty?
A healthy mouth is key to a more radiant and youthful appearance. Dr. Harper explains that people often notice someone’s smile first, making it crucial for self-presentation. When teeth and gums are well-maintained, they create a visual balance that’s appealing.
2. Why is oral care considered part of a self-care routine?
Unlike other beauty practices, oral care is essential for health as well as beauty. Dr. Harper notes that incorporating oral care into daily self-care routines improves not only appearance but also overall health, making it a foundational step in any wellness routine.
3. What are some components of an attractive smile?
Beyond just color, a great smile includes the shape, alignment, and health of the gums and teeth. Each detail contributes to how people perceive beauty, and a radiant smile often relies on achieving this balance.
4. How does enamel protect against aging effects on the face?
Healthy teeth help maintain the structure of the face. Dr. Harper explains that as people age and lose teeth, they often experience a sunken appearance due to lost bone structure. Keeping teeth strong helps preserve youthful facial contours.
5. What daily habits support oral wellness and appearance?
Dr. Harper suggests twice-daily brushing, flossing, and tongue cleaning as essential habits. He also mentions Enamel’s fluoride-free, hydroxyapatite toothpaste tablets, which support tooth remineralization.
6. What role does gum color play in an attractive smile?
Dr. Harper explains that healthy gums should be pink and firm. When gums are inflamed, red, or bleeding, it detracts from the attractiveness of a smile. Proper gum care, including gentle brushing and flossing, supports both oral health and aesthetic appeal.
7. How does tooth alignment affect facial aesthetics?
Proper alignment is essential for an appealing smile. Dr. Harper shares that even minor alignment issues can change how a smile is perceived. Consistent dental check-ups and, if necessary, orthodontic treatments, can help maintain natural facial symmetry and boost overall attractiveness.
8. What is the link between bad oral health and bad breath?
Bad breath, often caused by bacteria on the tongue and gums, can be a sign of underlying oral health issues. Dr. Harper recommends incorporating tongue scraping into daily routines to reduce bacteria and ensure fresh breath, enhancing confidence and comfort in social interactions.
9. How can periodontal disease affect health and appearance?
Periodontal disease impacts not just oral health but overall health. Dr. Harper discusses how untreated periodontal disease leads to inflammation and even bone loss, potentially causing a sunken appearance and increasing the risk for serious conditions like heart disease.
10. Is there a connection between oral health and heart disease?
Yes, studies have shown a strong link. Bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream and impact heart health. Dr. Harper emphasizes that regular brushing and professional cleanings reduce this risk, making oral care an important part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
11. Can oral health influence mental well-being?
Good oral health can boost self-confidence, impacting mental well-being. Dr. Harper explains that those who feel confident in their smile are often more comfortable in social settings, highlighting oral care as a factor in psychological health.
12. What are some common oral health myths?
One persistent myth Dr. Harper debunks is the idea that bad teeth are solely genetic. He emphasizes that while genetics play a role, daily oral hygiene practices and regular dental visits are far more influential in determining overall dental health.
13. How does using alcohol-based mouthwash affect oral health?
Dr. Harper warns that alcohol-based mouthwash can disrupt the oral microbiome by killing both harmful and beneficial bacteria. For a balanced approach, he recommends fluoride-free, alcohol-free products that support rather than strip the microbiome.
14. How does hydroxyapatite help with tooth sensitivity?
Hydroxyapatite, an ingredient in Enamel toothpaste tablets, helps remineralize teeth, strengthening enamel and reducing sensitivity over time. This ingredient makes enamel-friendly products ideal for people with sensitive teeth who want both beauty and comfort.
15. Why is enamel important for maintaining facial structure?
Enamel protects teeth and helps maintain the structure of the face. Dr. Harper shares that a loss of enamel can lead to weakening of the teeth, potentially causing tooth loss, which can affect the symmetry and fullness of the face, contributing to an aged appearance.
Conclusion:
The link between oral health and beauty is stronger than you might think. As Dr. Harper shares, making oral care a part of your daily self-care not only supports overall health but also boosts confidence with a beautiful, radiant smile. For more tips on elevating your wellness and beauty routine, visit ENML.com. Don’t forget to watch the episode and explore related content on Minty Fresh Takes for a deeper dive into oral care innovations. Here is the episode 1 recap:
Transcript:
Welcome back to another episode of Minty Fresh Takes. I'm your host Xander Hough with Dr. Jordan Harper. In our first episode, we introduced you enamel and explored how oral care can be more than just a routine. It's about wellness and sustainability. Today we're taking it further and diving into how a healthy mouth can enhance your natural beauty.In this episode we will talk about how oral wellness directly impacts your appearance from understanding the science behind a radiant smile to tips on achieving one. We've got a lot to cover. Let's explore how oral health isn't just about function. It's also about looking and feeling your best. Dr.
Jordan Harper. Thank you, Xander. Glad to be back. Of course. A lot of fun last time. Absolutely. This is, uh, a lot of people have no clue what goes into making a podcast, but it's actually quite fun. Yeah, that's right. That's right. And listen, it seems like we've got, we've got great reviews. A lot of people are saying a lot of great things about it.
So we're excited to get into episode two today for you guys. So to start, can you give us a recap of what we talked about in episode one? Yeah, absolutely. So, um, introduction to the brand enamel, what it is, um, you know, how microhydroxyapatite, uh, is, is so much better and different than fluoride, as well as how much better a toothpaste tablet is over regular paste, um, from both a sustainability standpoint and just an overall use standpoint, um, and how user friendly it is, um, you know, and, and how With enamel, we really identified a niche in the market where everyone has this wellness, wellness, wellness.
And that seems to apply to your skin on your face and your hair, but in your eyebrows and your eyelids, but, and eyelashes even, right? But like no one talks about teeth. Why is oral wellness not in self care and self wellness, right? And so with enamel, that's what we're trying to do is try and like find that.
We found a gap in the market where arguably the number one thing that is the most important about your physical appearance is your teeth. Cause that's the first thing people notice. Um, and so, so with enamel, we kind of identified that gap and we're trying to allow, um, you know, oral wellness to become part of your self wellness routine.
How does a healthy mouth contribute to overall beauty and wellness? There's a really famous picture that gets used probably in every dental school in the country. Um, and I don't know if you've seen it, but it's a, it's a really clever picture where, um, it's like this family and the dad's smiling. And, um, and so he's, he's, you know, smiling with his kids or his wife or something like that.
And he's missing his, one of his front teeth missing a central incisor. And, uh, The caption goes, you know, something along the lines of, um, you know, yes, he's missing a front tooth, but did you also notice he's missing an eyebrow? And then when you go back and look at the picture, you totally miss, Oh my God, he was missing an eyebrow.
And, and, and the emphasis of that, of that image is, is the importance of teeth, right? Um, it genuinely is, uh, what, you know, when you smile, that's the first thing people notice, right? People look at your teeth. Yeah, they may be able to look at your eyes, your ears, your hair, your eyebrows, your eyelashes, all those things.
But the first thing people are going to notice is your teeth. Um, and, and that's where it all starts. Um, and, and that's why it's, it's a super important aspect of, you know, your overall beauty. What are some specific ways a radiant smile and a healthy mouth can make someone more visually appealing? Being that most people notice teeth first, right?
Um, the way smiles make people more visually appealing is, is Believe it or not. They've done studies where what is an attractive person look like based on their smile, right? And and the attractiveness rating goes up as the smile gets better. Well, what makes a better smile, right? And as dentists we look at a variety of things between not just everyone's worried about the color of the teeth Okay, you can have an ugly smile with bright white teeth, right?
If all the teeth are the same shape or all the teeth are the same size or all the teeth are, you know They're level on the incisal edge plane, you know, so, so a, a, a truly attractive smile is multifactorial, right? You've got a variety of aspects. Yeah. Shade's one of the things in the quiver, but the other things are things like proper shapes of the teeth as it relates to, is the patient male, is the patient female, is the patient older, is the patient younger, all these things have to be taken consideration as well as the facial profile of the individual.
Um, that also influences the shape of the teeth that we make. Um, The other thing that, uh, is, is super important, uh, in addition to shape is also size. And you don't want to give people like, you know, bucky beaver teeth. Um, you know, you've got to have something that just fits their facial profile properly.
Um, and so all these things, um, are things that we're considering when we talk about a healthy smile. And what's interesting is when we go to some of these cosmetic lectures, um, for CE, you know, you're getting all sorts of different, um, you know, inputs on, If a midline is shifted, like say Tom Cruise, right?
Very well known midline shift, right? If a midline is shifted, uh, half a millimeter, does someone notice? And the answer is no. If it's a millimeter, no. You've got to get to over a millimeter before someone really starts actually noticing that the teeth aren't positioned properly. Um, and so it's just really fascinating to like, uh, dive into all these little nitty gritty details about what makes a perfect smile.
Um, because all those little small details add up. To making that perfect smile, which ultimately makes that person more attractive. You often say that oral care is self care explain how that concept ties into like looking and feeling beautiful. Absolutely So so everyone to a certain degree has some sort of self care routine, right?
For a lot of people that looks like, you know, brushing their teeth taking a shower washing their hair those types of things keeping their You know their their nails clipped all that type of stuff, right? Um, what's interesting I think is You've got this self care routine and i'm and A lot of people, you know, a lot of the ladies will be focusing on, you know, their eyebrows and eyelashes and skincare and, and they're doing all this skin product for their face to keep their face looking beautiful and acne free and all this stuff.
Right. And, and it's almost like oral care gets lumped into this like crummy obligation. I've got to do it. Uh, I don't want to do it. I struggle with my three year old right to get her to brush her teeth. Right. And, and, It's one of those things where I think there's maybe a stigma that's developed where it's like we as dentists It's like, you know, we're from a it's it's too authoritarian.
It's like brush your teeth twice a day because we tell you to right It's like what time out right? You should be brushing your teeth twice a day to maintain your physical appearance to maintain your teeth to keep yourself healthy Because your mouth is the beginning of the whole You healthy routine inside your body, right?
And so if you don't have good teeth, you're not going to be healthy and we'll touch on that later, I'm sure. But, um, to me, I really thought it was important that we come at brushing our teeth and taking care of our teeth from a self, from a, from a wellness standpoint, because I don't want it to be, Oh, I got to brush my teeth because my dentist told me to.
I want it to be, I got to brush my teeth cause I want to stay attractive. I want to stay healthy. I want to stay fit. That's where it all starts. Right? And, and, and so. That's where a lot of our push is, is we're trying to get people to understand. It's like, look, okay, yeah, you're taking care of the bags on your eyes and taking care of your skin wrinkles and you're taking care of your acne.
What about your teeth? Right. And everyone feels like this awful obligation to brush their teeth when really it should be like, Hey, this is the best thing I do with my day. Cause this is literally what contributes probably the most to my overall health for my life. Um, and so anyways, it's just conveying that to people and educating them on that.
But color's the first thing. Um, cause I think people associate stains with decay and rotting and, you know, all that type of stuff as it, as it associates with teeth. So, um, I would say color's number one. Number two would be, um, some people, uh, when they smile, you can see their gum tissue, right? Um, gums are naturally supposed to be pink.
Um, if it's, if it's on a, you know, I think if you see a lot of red and bleeding and that type of thing, gums, that can also be kind of a, a turnoff. And then, and then lastly, I think it's probably a alignment, you know, um, teeth being in the appropriate position in the face. Um, that would be the other one.
How does oral health affect facial aesthetics? So your oral health, and I'm going to, I'm going to bring an example that most people haven't probably thought about. But if you go, let's say you go to assisted living facilities. And you've got a lot of people that are 80s, 90s, right? Their poor teeth, you know, are on their last leg if they have any left, right?
If you start looking at the facial symmetry of those patients, what you're going to notice is what I call a sunken in appearance, right? So they've got the pursed lips, Uh, their facial structure is collapsed, right? And the reason that happens, and then obviously that exacerbates wrinkles and everything else, but the reason that actually happens is they've lost, uh, uh, what's called vertical dimension of occlusion.
Um, so basically the, the vertical aspect, uh, of their jaw that's held up by their teeth. They've lost it, right? Um, and lots of them don't wear dentures because the dentures are terrible fitting, right? But it's a great visual to help kind of explain to people as like, you know, when you get that sunken in appearance.
That's what it's from is losing and missing teeth, right? Well, if you maintain your teeth and keep everything happy and healthy you maintain that vertical, right? And that again All plays down to your facial symmetry and your jawline Gum color teeth alignment even breath freshness. Why is this so important in making someone appear attractive?
A lot of different things. I think you know I'll touch on the breath part first. Like, as far as breath freshness goes, there's aspects, uh, in dentistry. Everyone has heard of gingivitis, right? I feel like that's like the number one thrown around turb on every toothpaste advertisement. Right. You break the word down.
It's simply inflammation of the gum tissue, right? Um, but what a lot of people don't know about is periodontal disease, right? And so that's, that's a disease of the periodontium. So that's actually the bone, uh, that holds the tooth in place, the socket, if you will, you know, and so the breath freshness part, a lot of that stems from, um, that can have severe cases of periodontal disease.
Um, you'll get a lot of that from there, but also too, uh, is the back of the tongue. Lots of people don't realize that they actually need to be brushing their tongue. Everyone gets talked about their teeth. They have no clue about the tongue and guess what? All those bacteria that make all those wretched smells, right?
A lot of them live on the tongue. Um, and that's why things like, uh, tongue scraping and that type of thing are important. If you look at a lot of the little single use or not single use, but the little, um, you know, toothbrushes designed to last a month, right? Most people don't realize if you flip that toothbrush on the back, that's a tongue scraper.
And most people have no idea why the back of that has a little ribbed nylon on it. Um, and it's because it's a built in tongue scraper. Um, and that's, again, it's another thing where we're trying to help educate the general public on, you know, ways to help take care of themselves to maintain their appearance.
As a dentist, how often, when people come into the clinic, do you see them actually scrubbing their tongue? Are you asking how many patients to actually do it? Yeah. I would say probably less than 1%. Wow. You know, um, you know, you'll definitely see like, you know, we call it like, this might gross out some viewers, but we definitely see like what we call the furry tongue, you know?
It's like, you've got some growth on your tongue, you know? It's like, we might want to brush that, you know? Um, but again, it's, it's just one of those things that, that, um, unfortunately the general public, um, Hasn't necessarily been educated on the best ways to do it. And hence this podcast, right? Hence us trying to get word out there on, Hey, look, there is a better way to help, you know, keep everything fresh and clean, you know, um, because that's going to help contribute to the overall oral health.
So as far as the gum color goes, we touched on a little bit earlier, you know, the gums are supposed to be nice, pink and healthy. Right. Um, and when you have, uh, you know, any type of either where there's gingivitis, peroneal disease and the gum tissues all red and bleeding and puffy, right. That creates lots of inflammation.
Um, And so the body is sending all these cells to get those plaque, biofilms, people call it tartar, calculus, whatever you want to call it, right? Um, off the teeth, right? Well, the problem is, is the teeth are actually outside the body. Most people don't realize that, right? Is the, the coronal structure of the tooth is actually on the outside of the body.
So the body is sending all these cells to get all that junk off the teeth, and it can't. So it kind of acts like a splinter, right? So you end up getting this inflammation of the gum tissue, the gums bleed, right? And so, the, the thing that I want to emphasize, and I have to emphasize to patients a lot is, A lot of patients will tell me like, Oh, well my gums are bleeding, so I quit brushing.
Oh no, no, no, no. Reverse that. Your gums are bleeding because we're not brushing good enough. I need you to brush that area more, right? Because I need you to get that stuff off so they don't bleed, right? Bleeding is a sign we got a problem. So you need to go after it. You need to get in there with that floss.
You need to get that stuff cleaned out. Um, and so it's just super important. That's why you come to the dentist every six months. Some people have to come every three months, right? Because 15 percent of the patient population is periodontal patients, right? So they have to come every every three months because they have to get all that stuff off because they build it so rapidly, you know, um, and all that contributes to, you know, healthy gums.
Is there research that shows a direct link between good oral health and the perceptions of attractiveness? Absolutely. I mean, we touched on a little bit earlier. There's studies that, you know, they would take, uh, take a lineup, you know, and a lot of these were based on actually like psychological type studies, right?
And psychologists were doing the studies. And so, um, there's studies that where they would line up people. And they would rank them on attractiveness, right? And more often than not, the people that got ranked to be more and more attractive had perfect results. Perfect alignment of teeth, proper facial proportions, proper color, all these types of things.
And so, um, a hundred percent there is a link to, you know, having the teeth play into your overall oral beauty. Dr. Harper, walk me through the actual science of oral health and keeping the tooth healthy. There's reasons that It's important to brush twice a day, um, or more, right? Um, there's reasons that it's important to come to the dentist, uh, regularly.
Um, and all of it, all of it has to do with keeping plaque biofilms off the teeth. So what happens is when we eat food, stuff gets caught. Um, it develops a plaque biofilm, um, that mixes with some of the components in your saliva. It can eventually generate tartar. Think of it as like barnacles on a dock post.
That's a great analogy, right? Is you, you know, after 90 days, these, these solidified plaque biofilms build up, right? And then the, the calcium in the saliva can start being deposited. You end up with this tartar buildup and again, barnacles, right? We've got to get all that stuff scraped off, right? Well, the importance of, of the, the, the, It's a team approach, right?
The patient has to do the at home care part, right? Um, and that's removing all of the, the bacteria that's, that's in soft plaque and food that bacteria love to eat on, right? Um, but the other important thing is coming to the dentist to get that stuff scraped off of instruments because once it solidifies like a barnacle, your toothbrush doesn't get that off, right?
Now we have to go in with our instruments and clean all that stuff off, right? And so the really important thing is When these plaque biofilms develop on the teeth, the reason things like periodontal disease occur is all this inflammation happens because the body sends these cells to fight that plaque biofilm.
Well, the problem is the cells can't get outside. Okay? So the cells are inside the gum tissue. The gum tissue gets all puffy and inflamed. That inflammation generates bone loss. Well as you generate bone loss around the tooth, what starts happening in the tooth? It's, it's more mobile, right? It's not staying in the socket solid, right?
So now you're more susceptible to tooth loss. Plus, you've exposed the root surface of the tooth, which doesn't have enamel on it. It's got something called cementum, okay? And, and that is more likely to get a cavity on it because the root surface is not as dense as enamel. Okay? So, so you can see this trickle down effect, right?
Where it's like, Oh, I didn't go to the dentist for five years. Oh, I didn't go to the dentist for 10 years, right? It's so important to maintain this stuff because it's all maintenance, right? You start slacking on the maintenance those barnacles on those dock posts are going to be hanging out 10 feet wide, right?
And and and and then you're going to see huge repercussions of that A lot of times they're irreversible because once the bone loss happens, guess what? I can't put it back I can't put it back. Bone grafting does not put it back, right? And that's a common misconception. Bone grafting, Like when we're getting teed up for implants It's helpful, right?
It gets bone to a degree, but that verticality of bone grafting just doesn't work, right? It doesn't last. So we were talking a little bit off camera about the oral cavity. Yep. Could you kind of walk me through a little bit in depth of what you were, what you were referencing to there? So yeah, so, so, what, what you and I were talking about was basically that the, the mouth is the jumping off point of help for your entire body.
And most people don't realize that the mouth's actually outside the body. Right? So think of it. The elementary canal is literally actually outside the body, even though everyone thinks of it as inside, right? But it's the start of the journey, right? So let's say we haven't been taking good care of our teeth, right?
Um, we haven't been brushing with enamel and things start to fall apart, right? As teeth fall apart. Um, and as you lose some of that ability to chew up that food properly with missing teeth, the bolus, we call it the food. is not small enough. So what does that do? Well now, as you swallow and it goes into your stomach, your stomach needs that food a certain size for the acid to break it down and absorb the nutrients.
If the bolus is too big, are you absorbing those nutrients properly? No, right? So, so again, it starts this cascade effect. So now the, the, the bolus of foods too big, you're not absorbing the nutrients you need. So now your overall health starts to deteriorate, right? Maybe you're more at risk for diabetes, whatever it is, right?
And so it's super, super important to maintain the proper number of teeth because that's what allows you to chew the food small enough. You know to then get and stay healthy. Um, And if you don't then you're gonna see consequences of that. So i've read a little bit in the news about how there could be a potential link between oral health And heart disease.
Can you kind of walk me through that? Absolutely. So it's not it's not could be they've actually proven it So, um, so yeah, so there is a direct link between um between overall good oral health and And bad oral health and how that affects heart disease. And so basically the bacteria You that naturally reside in your mouth, right?
If the, if the populations get too overblown, too big, um, you end up having, you know, lots of inflammation and ways for these bacteria to get inside the bloodstream and inside the body that can actually negatively affect the heart tissue, right? Because bacteria can settle on heart tissue. Um, and they've done lots of studies proving that.
Um, the other big thing that's actually really exciting right now is they're actually also trying to tie this into Alzheimer's. So they're doing Alzheimer's research showing how, wait a minute, some of this bacteria that's in the oral cavity could begin to affect the brain. And again, it's just one of those amazing things where it's like the body's all tied together, the mouth's where it all starts, right?
So you've got to maintain good oral health. You have to. It's just, if you want to maintain good self cares, good, good, good wellness for yourself, you've got to maintain your mouth. And another aspect of the science I'd love to comment on is the genetic component, right? I hear all the time. Oh. I have bad teeth because of bad genetics.
I have bad teeth because my parents had bad teeth. They were wearing a denture at 30. I'm going to have a denture at 30. That's not true, right? Yeah, are there genetic diseases or disorders that can affect the teeth? 100%, right? Is that what most people have? No. I mean, we're talking like 0. 01%, right? I mean, it's like a teeny tiny amount of people actually have genetic disorders that actually affect the teeth, right?
99. 9 percent of people can maintain their teeth, keep all their teeth, but they have to follow some simple instructions, right? Take care of your teeth at home with your, with your self care routine and go see the dentist, you know, and it's just super important to maintain for that overall bodily health.
Important daily habits. Talk to me about kind of what we can be doing to maintain the oral health. Absolutely. Yeah. So the big thing day in, day out that you can do is, you know, brushing your teeth and morning and night, um, just incorporating that into part of your get up routine and your bedtime routine, right.
When you're doing your other self care stuff, whether it's showering, whatever. That's the easiest way. Flossing is a big one. Flossing of some kind, you know. There's no substitute for string floss. It's the best. A lot of people use water flossers, but string floss is still the best. And then, you know, Like we talked about a little bit earlier in the episode, scraping your tongue, which I would bet 98 percent of people don't do.
Are there specific ingredients or products just like what enamel offers that can really enhance the oral health in your appearance? Yeah, absolutely. So, so the micro hydroxy appetite it's inside enamel, um, it can do a multitude of things, but the most important thing we're seeing is the remineralization effect of the tooth.
Um, and how it allows, um, you know, the, the tooth to. this micro hydroxy appetite reuptaken into it, um, to decrease the risk of getting those cavities and stuff like that. And then secondarily to that, you're also decreasing the sensitivity when you're doing that too. How does enamels focus on natural ingredients play into both health and beauty?
So, so obviously, you know, the last 20 years has been pretty eyeopening. We've gone through this organic phase of things, non GMO, all these things, right, where we're trying to get, more back on track to the way we used to be a thousand years ago, right? Where, where there was no artificial stuff. Um, and, and just, you know, what we're finding is, is a lot of this artificial stuff is shockingly, well, wow, shocker.
It's bad for you. Right? So it's like, you know, just getting, getting back to the basics, right. Of, of getting something that's all natural, all organic, that will still be effective in doing what it needs to do. You know, and that's the beauty of it. Oral care mistakes. What are, what are some people doing that they might not know about that's actually hurting their appearance?
One of the most interesting things outside of not, you know, yeah, we've already talked about not brushing your teeth and all that stuff and not going to the dentist. Like those are big mistakes, right? Here's one of the most interesting things that we're starting to learn and the research isn't fully complete yet.
Uh, so I don't want to like say, Oh, this is it. But this is like what people are talking about is, um, alcohol and Liquid based mouthwashes, and how it's destroying the oral microbiome, right? So, so, what they're finding is, is it's killing everything. You need some good bacteria, because that's what's feeding your gut to help digest the food.
But it's killing and nuking everything. And, and so that's why we're coming out with an enamel mouthwash tablet, right? It's also microhydroxyapatite based. Doesn't have, obviously, the alcohol in it. It has very similar ingredients to our toothpaste tablet. It just foams a little more, right? So that you don't need the water, right?
You can literally pop it in, you know, swish, swish, swish, and then just spit, right? And it would be a great little additive you can have when maybe you're off at school, or off at lunch, off at work, whatever, and you don't have access to a toothbrush. It's another way, again, you can just help maintain that oral health.
One thing I notice when I use any mouthwash type is after, I've got sensitive teeth, after I use it, It makes my teeth feel even more sensitive after about a week of using it. Yeah, that's because it's so caustic. It's super strong, right? And the pH balance is off. And it's literally, I mean, literally it's doing what it's supposed to do, which is like put out everything like it's a wildfire.
But at the day, you don't want that. There's certain bacteria, they're good bacteria. You want to keep those, right? Um, and so it's really interesting study that it's, you know, that I'm tracking. Um, it's gonna be really cool what they find out. Yeah. As a dentist, what are you looking for to assess if somebody has good oral health?
So to me, the first, the very first indicator, if I see a new patient and they sit down in the chair, right. And I'm meeting him for the first time is how much stuff is on the teeth. That's number one, because that's where it all starts, right? Is if there's lots of stuff caked up, gunked on the teeth, I'm going, Oh boy, we're going to be really looking at these x rays when I take them in a second, because, um, there's probably going to be cavities, right?
There's probably going to be other problems. There's probably going to be bone loss, right? So, so to me, then that's the number one indicator. Um, yeah. And I'm not saying, look, everybody gets cavities. I've gotten a cavity, right? It's, it's unfortunately the nature of bacteria and the byproducts they secrete that create holes in the teeth.
You know, it's, it's almost unavoidable in someone's lifetime to not get a cavity. Um, but definitely one of the key indicators is how much stuff's built up on the teeth. What's a common myth about the oral health industry right now that you would need to debunk? So I think, I think the one, the most common one I see is genetics cause my teeth to be bad.
Um, and that I get that a lot. Um, there are genetic disorders that cause the teeth to be bad, but it's like 0. 01%. I mean, it's teeny tiny, you know, um, most people have complete control over their oral wellness if they take care of it. Right. It just involves brushing with a high quality toothpaste and going to see the dentist.
For anybody listening right now, give us, give us at least one thing to do right now today that would improve our oral health. I like to tell people, especially the people that maybe have been slacking. Everyone gets to the slump in life and they maybe start slacking. I would say the biggest thing you do is draw a line in the sand and just start today.
Like start today going, when I get out of that shower or whatever it is you're doing, you start your self care routine, take care Take care of your teeth. Take care of your teeth, right? Cause remember that the teeth is the start of everything. And that's the whole thing we've been talking about this whole, this whole podcast is, is the teeth start it all.
So you gotta start taking care of them. Don't, don't tell yourself, Oh, I haven't been taking care of them for five months. Why am I going to start now? Right? Don't do that. Just start today. Like start, start a new, New aspect of your ritual. Yeah, that's right. Okay, so we've got the enamel products right here in the to go baggies.
They look great Yep, little sample pouches for now. Yep, kind of give us an update if you want to hold this. Yeah Yeah, give us an update of kind of where enamel is right now as a company what you guys are looking at Yeah, yeah. Yeah for sure. So, um, so we're gonna do a Little bit of a soft launch kind of a teaser launch We've had tons of patients, uh, and people reaching out wanting the tablets.
Right. Um, and so what we've decided to do is just give people these kind of little, uh, resealable, little teaser pouches. We only have a limited number of them. Um, but just so people can get their hands on it and start trying it. Um, we're still about six weeks out, uh, probably from the full blown launch with our formalized glass jars.
Um, But we had, we had some extra tablets and we just thought it'd be a good, uh, good thing to get, get people to start talking about it. Absolutely. Okay. One last question for you. Not on the script. Talk to us about the cup, what we got on it. So, so, uh, yes, this is, uh, uh, my mentor, uh, Dr. Thomas Dwork. Uh, so he, uh, is a prosthetist, he's an amazing prosthodontist.
He was one of my professors at dental school and, uh, when I bought this practice, uh, he gifted me with some mugs and so it says, what time, what time did the man go to the dentist? Well, of course the natural answer is 2. 30. Say 2. 30 fast and you'll get it. Ha, Oh my gosh. Well that's, Hey, listen, that's going to wrap up everything about this episode today.
Episode two for Minty Fresh Takes. If you want to learn more about how to enhance your health, uh, about your beauty, your oil care, be sure to follow us on Instagram at Minty Fresh Takes and at Enamel Tooth Tabs. Um, if you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to subscribe on YouTube. Uh, leave a review, share it with someone who might benefit from these tips.
We'll see you next time. Thank you.