Raise your hand if you've ever used mouthwash or bleached your teeth. Probably everyone has at some point, right? My guest today will make you rethink your idea of having a "dirty" mouth that needs to be sterilized!

Today's guest, Dr. Mark Burhenne, attended the University of the Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. In his bio, Dr. B writes, “In my 30 years of practice as a dentist, I’ve seen a lot of misinformation and people who have fallen through the cracks due to our healthcare system’s failure to understand the oral-body connection” – which is where his focus on “whole body care” really started.

Dr. B is passionate about getting people the right information they need to be healthy – a passion we share! He founded askthedentist.com in 2010 as an avenue to advance that passion. Ask the Dentist promotes oral health for total wellness and empowers people to understand how the mouth is a window into the health of the rest of the body. It's fast becoming one of the sources for the best dental advice on the net with millions of viewers per month.

Dr. B is also is the author of the best selling book The 8-Hour Paradox: How We are Sleeping Our Way to Fatigue, Disease, and Unhappiness. He recently started a podcast, and is helping connect functional dentists to functionally minded patients via a worldwide directory.

Join us as we chat on all things relating to functional dentistry- from sleep to the oral-systemic connection to the oral microbiome. (And yes, we will talk about some oral care products!)

Have you noticed a skin rash pop up after having dental work or something go awry within your mouth? Tell me about it in the comments!

In this episode:

• How oral health can impact + worsen skin problems
• What is the oral microbiome?
• Why you should NEVER disinfect the mouth
• How bleaching your teeth could lead to dysbiosis
• Should you DITCH toothpaste? (cankersores, anyone?)
• Hydroxyapatite - what is it + how is it helpful for your teeth
• Testing you can order to assess your oral microbiome

Quotes

“Anytime we talk about health, whether it's systemic health, oral health, we have to talk in that fashion as being a super organism and having this complex, interacting, synergistic system in our mouth. And when it goes wrong, it's not necessarily just the human DNA, it's a combination of everything.” [5:03]

“There's a little girdle of tissue that tries to seal off the bugs in the mouth and prevent them from getting into the body. The bad news is that it happens quite frequently. For example, every time you go in for a dental cleaning, within 20 minutes, those bacteria in the mouth are in the blood in your bloodstream... And that's called Bacteriema." [15:38]

Links

Connect with Dr. B online

Follow Dr. on Instagram | TikTok

Check out the Bristle Test here

Order a copy of Dr. B's book:

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at https://skinrepaircall.com/