Salivation Salvation—Dr. Kim Kutsch—CariFree

Did you know that about half of the bottled water on the market has a pH of four? You may be wondering what that even means and why it matters. On today's episode, Dr. Kim Kutsch, owner of CariFree, is welcomed back to the show to discuss what he's learned over the course of his career as a dentist, and how it can greatly benefit your health.

After spending years "drilling and filling" cavity after cavity, Dr. Kutsch finally had enough: he knew he needed to fill in the educational gaps left by the dental school, which meant he needed to understand the root cause of cavities and the disease mechanism at play. Why do some people get so many cavities despite flossing and brushing every day, while others go their whole lives with less-than-ideal oral hygiene and not one cavity? Are genetics or environmental factors at play in dentistry?

"It all goes back to the pH in the mouth," he says. He continues by discussing the interplay between the drop in pH (i.e. the increase in acidity) that occurs every time we eat or drink, and the body's mechanism of compensating for that by coating the mouth and teeth with saliva, an alkaline solution that decreases acidity, bringing the oral microbiome—the collection of bacteria and other microbes that live in the mouth—back to neutral pH, which is about 6.5. When this interplay becomes unbalanced, it can wreak havoc in the mouth. This means that the less saliva someone produces, the less protected their teeth. This is troublesome, considering the fact that roughly 70% of the U.S. population is on at least one prescription medication, and the number one side effect of all prescription medications is dry mouth—a decrease in the production of saliva.

Tune in to learn about Dr. Kutsch's preventative approach to this problem and so much more, including:

• What the CariFree toothpaste, rinse, and gel are composed of and why they are so effective at preventing cavities
• How poor oral health and having caries (i.e. cavities) is a risk factor for fatal diseases
• How the healthy oral microbiome functions in the mouth

Visit carifree.com to learn more.