A few years ago, curiosity got the better of me.
As the founder of ohGiGi®, I spend a lot of time thinking about oral health. Not just brushing our teeth, but everything that's happening inside our mouths every single day.
So I decided to have my oral microbiome tested.
I wasn’t looking for a diagnosis or trying to solve a problem. I simply wanted to learn more about what was happening inside my own mouth.
When the results came back, they changed the way I thought about oral care.
"Your mouth is an entire ecosystem"
Most of us grow up thinking oral health is fairly straightforward.
Brush your teeth...Floss...Visit the dentist.
But our mouths are home to an incredibly complex ecosystem made up of hundreds of different microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and other microbes.
Some can contribute to disease.
Many are harmless.
Some are actually beneficial.
Together, they form what’s known as the oral microbiome.
Like the gut microbiome, it’s not simply about eliminating bacteria, it’s about maintaining balance.
What surprised me.
When I looked through my report, I naturally found myself looking for the “bad” bacteria.
Instead, what caught my attention was something I hadn’t expected.
Some of my normal oral flora, the bacteria considered part of a healthy oral microbiome were lower than expected.
That made me stop and think.
For so long, we’ve been taught that oral care is about removing things.
Plaque...Build-up...“Bad” bacteria.
But what if we also started asking:
What are we trying to support?
Our mouths were never designed to be sterile.
They’re living ecosystems that are constantly changing.
What we eat.
How we sleep.
Stress.
Medications.
Saliva.
Our daily oral care routine.
All of these things can influence the balance of the oral microbiome.
The goal isn’t to eliminate every microorganism.
It’s to support an environment where beneficial microbes can thrive while helping keep the overall ecosystem in balance.
That felt like a very different way of thinking about oral health.
Why this matters to me.
When I created ohGiGi, I wasn’t trying to create “just another toothpaste.”
I wanted to rethink oral care.
That curiosity hasn’t stopped.
The more I learn about the science of the mouth, the more questions I have.
How do our daily habits influence the oral microbiome?
How important is saliva?
How can we better support the mouth’s natural balance?
I don’t pretend to have all the answers.
But I do believe that asking better questions leads to better products, better conversations and, hopefully, better oral health.
Where tooth powder fits in.
At ohGiGi®, we’ve always believed oral care is about more than simply cleaning teeth.
Our tooth powders are designed to clean effectively while using thoughtfully selected ingredients that support everyday oral care.
They’re one part of a much bigger picture.
Because oral health isn’t determined by a single product.
It’s influenced by our diet, lifestyle, saliva, daily habits, regular dental care and the remarkable ecosystem living inside our mouths.
The more I learn, the more I realise oral care is so much more interesting than toothpaste.
I’m still learning.
Testing my oral microbiome didn’t give me all the answers.
If anything, it gave me more questions.
And honestly…
That’s my favourite part.
The science of the mouth is evolving every day, and I love learning alongside it.
As I continue exploring oral health, I’ll keep sharing what I discover along the way.
Because I have a feeling we’re only just beginning to understand how fascinating the oral microbiome really is.
Have you ever heard of oral microbiome testing?
Or is this the first time you’ve come across it?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.