Huberman Lab
How to Improve Your Teeth & Oral Microbiome for Brain & Body Health | Dr. Staci Whitman
24 Mar 2025
My guest is Dr. Staci Whitman, DMD, a board-certified dentist for kids and adults. We discuss the critical importance of oral care and the oral microbiome for brain and bodily health. We examine the negative effects of common oral care product ingredients such as alcohol, astringents, and bleaches. We also explore the history and real impact of fluoridated drinking water on oral, bone, and systemic health. Then we discuss healthy, lesser-known solutions for bad breath, canker sores, cavities, and teeth whitening. We cover how teeth can be made to repair their own cavities and the connection between oral health and cardiovascular health, male and female fertility, dementia, and cancer. This episode goes far beyond the best approaches to brushing and flossing and will be a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their oral health and appearance at any age. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Staci Whitman 00:02:04 Oral Health & Oral Microbiome 00:05:01 Oral Healthcare Ingredients, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS); Canker Sores 00:08:45 Sponsors: Eight Sleep & BetterHelp 00:11:38 Cavities & Teeth De-/Remineralization, Fluoride 00:19:14 Cavities, Tool: Meal Frequency, Fasting 00:21:51 Sugar, “Dissolvable” Carbs & Cavities, Tools: Feed the Rainbow, Clean Diet 00:27:41 White Teeth, Bleaching, Hydroxyapatite, Mouth Breathing 00:34:34 Antibiotics, Gut & Oral Microbiome, Tool: Probiotics 00:36:20 Mouthwash, Alcohol, Astringents, Cardiovascular Risk, Bad Breath 00:39:54 Sponsors: AG1 & Joovv 00:42:21 Saliva, Dry Mouth, Salivary Analysis, Tools: Hydration; Nasal Breathing 00:47:23 Mouth vs. Nasal Breathing, Hard & Soft Tissue Issues 00:54:19 Deviated Septum, Therapies, Kids & Adults, Mouth Breathing & Sleep Disorders 01:00:42 Gum Health, Flossing; Sexual Health 01:01:50 Shifting to Nasal Breathing, Mouth Taping, Tools: 3-Minute Test, Kiss The Sky 01:05:53 Chewing Gum, Mastic Gum, Tool: Xylitol; Chewing Food, Breastfeeding 01:11:28 Sponsor: Function 01:13:15 Gum Disease, “Leaky Gums”, Cardiovascular Disease, Dementia, Cancer 01:20:05 Antibiotics, Ozone Therapy, Oil Pulling, Mold, Tool: Coconut Oil; Facial Trauma 01:28:07 Nicotine Gum & Pouches, Oral Health; Coffee, Teeth Whitening 01:34:16 Whole Foods, Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste; Tool: Testing Oral Microbiome 01:39:39 Water Fluoridation, History, Other Fluoride Sources, Neurocognitive Issues 01:54:57 Drinking Water & Fluoride, Toothpaste, Cavities 01:59:51 Sponsor: LMNT 02:01:07 Water Fluoridation & Levels 02:04:52 Oral Health & Fertility 02:07:03 Toothbrushing, Flossing, Waterpik, Tool: Toothbrushing & Meals 02:13:23 Teeth Spots & Markings, Fluorosis, Hypoplastic Enamel 02:19:10 Oral Health, Women, Pregnancy, Menopause & Burning Mouth 02:23:16 Geographic Tongue; Lip Balm; Mouth Breathing, Symmetrical Chewing 02:27:09 Tongue Tie, Chewing & Speech Function, Intervention 02:32:27 Red Light Therapy, Peptides & Exosomes 02:34:40 Mercury Fillings, Ceramic Composites, Retainers, Sealants 02:39:08 Dentists, Depression, Anxiety, Suicide; Insurance 02:45:05 Recap, Top Behavioral Tools for Oral Health, Tongue Scrapping 02:52:10 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. My guest today is Dr. Stacey Whitman. Dr. Stacey Whitman is a functional dentist with expertise treating both adult and pediatric patients.
She focuses on oral health as a key feature of overall gut health and a powerful modulator of brain longevity, heart health, hormones, and fertility in both men and in women.
Today, we discuss many of the common myths about tooth and gum care and how to use specific nutrition, breathing and cleaning methods to repair cavities, whiten teeth and freshen breath while at the same time improving the oral microbiome.
This is very important because as Dr. Whitman explains, most of the things that people do in pursuit of better tooth health and appearance and fresh breath actually damage their oral microbiome and indeed can lead to serious cardiovascular issues. So today we discuss how to brush, how to floss.
I know we've all heard that we need to brush and floss, but Dr. Whitman explains exactly how to do those so that they are of the maximum benefit for our tooth health, gum health, and oral health generally. We also discuss the science and benefits of things like tongue scraping and oil pulling. And we discuss fluoride, which of course is a very controversial and timely topic nowadays.
It's a very interesting conversation that I believe everyone, young, old, parents, and kids need to be aware of. We also discussed treating things like tongue ties, deviated septums, canker sores, and more. By the end of today's episode, you'll have the most up-to-date knowledge about how to take care of your oral health,
both for aesthetic reasons and, of course, to reduce cavities and gum disease, and in doing so, how to support your brain and heart longevity. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford.
It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero-cost to consumer information about science and science-related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, this episode does include sponsors. And now for my discussion with Dr. Stacey Whitman. Dr. Stacey Whitman, welcome.
Thank you, Andrew.
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