Bacteria are live creatures that do not want to cause disease. They enter the human body because the conditions are right for their survival. Only a small percentage of bacteria are pathogens. They become pathogens because their very existence becomes threatened. The bacteria in humans become threatened by oxidative stress. Stress is determined by temperature and pH. For example, bacteria are part of the normal flora in the body. Change the body temperature and or pH and a few bacteria may turn into pathogens. The oral cavity is loaded with different kind of bacteria. The mouth is an ideal place for the bacteria to get food and hibernate in secret hiding places. The healthy oral flora have different bacteria competing for the food resources. This competition keeps the mouth from getting dental disease.

The normal flora in a healthy oral cavity is full of different bacteria. There are about 10-15% pathogens and the rest are harmless and some are even beneficial. Common sense should tell us that at this ratio, pathogens can not dominate. As long as the pathogens are kept in the minority, the pathogens can do no harm.

If the pathogens are in such a minority, then why is there dental disease? The answer is that we use daily products that kill the good bacteria and let the pathogens take over the environment. Antibacterial toothpaste, antiseptic mouthwash, hydrogen peroxide, bleach and other chemical products may target pathogens but they are not selective. They kill all bacteria, leaving the mouth vulnerable for pathogens. What tips the balance to favor pathogens is resistant bacteria. Dental products are geared to kill bacteria but they are not concentrated enough to kill all the bacteria. The reason being that the product would poison and kill human cells. This leaves enough bacteria to develop resistant strains. These bacteria are mostly pathogens.
Resistant bacteria can pass their genes not only through replication but by transfer to other bacteria. Resistance to antibacterial agents is due to genes that trigger mechanisms to destroy the power of the toxic chemicals. Genes can be transferred to other bacteria. This makes an innocent bystander become a resistant bacteria. Now what was a minority member of the oral cavity can become the larger majority in the oral cavity. This shift of balance can result in dental disease. The term for this condition is called dysbiosis. Holistic doctors have been treating dysbiosis of the gut by introducing high concentrations of good bacteria back into the gut. The good bacteria must be specie of the original bacterial flora because bacteria need to thrive in their environment.

The recent Anthrax scare tells us a great deal about bacteria. Anthrax become lethal only when they enter the lungs. They do damage when they enter the blood. They do no harm when they are found on the skin or outer covering of animals. They are harmless when they are in a spore form. When they are found in a hostile environment as the lungs and blood, they activate to form colonies of adult bacteria. Antibiotics can kill normal Anthrax but antibiotic resistant Anthrax are special bacteria that can be killed only by Cipro. The danger of taking Cipro needlessly is that other bacteria can mutate to develop resistant strains against Cipro and pass these genes on to not only anthrax but other pathogens. Biological warfare teaches us the behavior of bacteria. The problem is that everyday, we are using Biological warfare on bacteria in the mouth. We are breeding not only bacteria to cause dental disease but future generation of bacteria that may cause lethal diseases to the rest of the body. The scare of Anthrax is not the bacteria found on sheep, but the bacteria that man has cultured to become resistant to antibacterial agents. We are afraid of our own creation. It is about time that man gets smart and realizes that the real danger comes from his own inventions. Bacteria will mutate to survive. The question becomes how can man survive his own deadly creations?

Levy has given us the answer to how to fight resistant bacteria. To review his remedy, it is that susceptible bacteria expend less energy for metabolism than resistant bacteria. Eventually susceptible bacteria will out-compete the resistant bacteria. The question becomes can any susceptible bacteria be used to kill resistant bacteria. The answer is definitely no. The susceptible bacteria must be part of the original flora of the oral cavity. Otherwise the bacteria not in its natural habitat can turn into a monster like the anthrax bacteria. Also, the bacteria must be able to compete for the same food and mineral resources. In the oral cavity that means spoiled undigested food particles and minerals in the body fluids of saliva, blood, lymph fluid and beverages, including water that is introduced into the oral cavity. These ideal susceptible bacteria are called beneficial bacteria.

Spoiled rotten food particles are the result of improper digestion. Digestion depends on proper chewing and digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes breakdown the food particles into smaller chemical compounds that can be absorbed by the blood and cells within the oral cavity. Our food substances of today lack the enzymes to digest the leftover food particles after eating. The necessary enzymes are destroyed by food additives, food processing and cooking. Cooking destroy most if not all the enzymes remaining after the processing of food. The only enzymes found in the oral cavity come from saliva. Saliva only has some enzymes to digest some carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the energy producers of the body. Sugar is the energy in carbohydrates. Processed white refined sugar is one of the sugars that can not be digested by saliva and other body enzymes. The other sugar that can not be digested by saliva is lactose found in milk products. There are no enzymes in the oral cavity to digest proteins, fats and fibers. This total lack of enzymes is responsible for dental disease and mouth odor. The susceptible bacteria that have the enzymes to digest spoiled rotten food particles are classified as beneficial fermentation bacteria. Why fermentation bacteria?

The only true way to get rid of spoiled food is by fermentation bacteria. There are bad fermentation bacteria that poison the body and there are good fermentation bacteria that use the same spoiled food and produce nutrients and necessary gas compounds that the body cells need for metabolism. The good fermentation bacteria have been used for centuries to produce beneficial food that are healthy for the body. The reason that are so healthy is that the good bacteria properly digest the food into nutrients before we eat the food. For example, many older people can not digest milk products. Beneficial bacteria turn milk into yogurt or fine cheese that are easily digested and absorbed into the blood and cells of the body. Sauerkraut uses beneficial bacteria to turn cabbage into a food that is nutritional and easily digested and absorbed into the blood and cells of the body. Fermentation bacteria are the scavengers of nature that decompose dead organic substances and remove them from destroying the environment. Without these particular bacteria, the planet would be one large garbage dump.

Fermentation bacteria are the key to probiotics. However they are not the only bacteria present. Along with the friendly fermentation bacteria are bacteria to act as protective guards. These centurian bacteria produce antibiotics and other proteins to keep the pathogens from invading the friendly fermentation bacteria. The major difference is that these bacteria do not make the pathogens develop resistant strains. The reason being that this competition warfare is a natural process where there are too many weapons for pathogens to develop resistant bacteria. For example, good bacteria produce 80 to 320 different proteins. Any one which may be used as a weapon against pathogen bacteria. The pathogen would have to expend too much energy to combat all of these potential proteins.