What is Pro-B Fresh?
Pro-B Fresh is a chewable dental probiotic with certain probiotic strains intended to improve your dental health.
If you’re prone to cavities or have bad brushing and flossing habits, a solution like this allegedly helps avoid the need for fillings, crowns, root canals, and additional surgery resulting from cavities and gum disease.
This review will help you understand how this supplement works and if it’s a good way for you to protect your teeth and gums from disease.
Usage
One bottle of Pro-B Fresh includes 30 capsules. You take one capsule a day either by chewing them or dissolving them in water. Whether chewed or dissolved, the ingredients in each pill you take coat your tongue, gums, and teeth.
This coverage puts the supplement’s ingredients in contact with various bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities, as well as tooth and gum disease.
As a result, you should see a reduction in your number of cavities, experience fresher breath and an overall improvement in your oral health.
Ingredients: Are They Effective?
Each Pro-B Fresh chewable includes the following active ingredients and flavorings:
- L. paracasei
- L. reuteri
- L. acidophilus
- L. salivarius
- Peppermint
- Spearmint
The first four ingredients are known as “probiotics” and are responsible for maintaining good health in various parts of your body. You probably relate probiotics to your gut health, however, they’re becoming a new area of exploration in dental health.
Despite dental probiotics being a new area, there are studies of the four strains (types) of probiotics in Pro-B Fresh.
The existing research about these ingredients include studies and what’s called a “meta-analysis,” which is an assessment of existing studies.
We analyzed this information and pulled together the main points of the existing research about each probiotic strain to understand how likely it is that this supplement can boost your oral health.
L. Paracasei
Lactobacillus paracasei have been reported to have beneficial effects on Helicobacter pylori infection, a bacteria that can affect the stomach with pain.
A randomized study with a total of 142 patients was able to reduce H. pylori density and decrease the levels of inflammation with no serious adverse events being reported when taking 100,000 CFU/g.
This probiotic is also effective against bacteria responsible for severe gum inflammation that leads to tooth loss (periodontal disease) and causing cavities.
Because of this, the dosage amount of 3 billion CFU that is contained in the Pro-B Fresh supplemental has the potential to help you fight off cavities and periodontal disease.
L. Reuteri
Research indicates that taking this probiotic by mouth was reported to prevent dental caries and periodontitis.
The amount of L. reuteri is known for being able to survive even the poorest oral conditions which may be effective in stopping or reducing your symptoms of gingivitis (gum disease).
Evidence was also able to show that the groove between your gums and teeth were at lower percentages when L. reuteri lozenges were taken twice a day for 3 months at 1 billion CFU.
L. Acidophilus
The probiotic strain L. acidophilus may be effective in fighting and preventing tooth decay.
This strain significantly reduced harmful bacteria causing tooth decay after consumption of yogurt that contained 100, 000 CFU/g of L. acidophilus in 4 weeks.
L. acidophilus was also shown to be an effective probiotic in improving the gingival status and plaque inhibition in a study.
While L. acidophilus could help your oral health, you’d need repeated research to give you more certainty about the supplement’s positive effects.
L. Salivarius
This final probiotic gives you a variety of benefits based on recent. You can take this probiotic to reduce your “gingival pocket depth” or the space that separates your gum from your teeth.
Smoking will most likely create a condition that would increase your pocket depth and lead to cavities and more serious conditions.
Research shows that the presence of L. salivarius can prevent the formation of tooth decay from strains of bacteria.
Main Takeaways
In general, the research about dental probiotics is new and unfolding.
What we do know is that the existing information points to the probiotics in this supplement helping you with preventing cavities and various gum disease.
There is evidence, too, that you can reduce the symptoms of gingivitis, periodontal disease, and periodontitis with the probiotics in Pro-B Fresh.
There isn’t much information, however, about these probiotics’ ability to help with your bad breath.
If you do notice a difference, it’s most likely due to the peppermint and spearmint flavors in each pill.
Possible Side Effects
There isn’t any evidence you’ll face mild or adverse dental side effects from taking Pro-B Fresh available dosage amount. However, probably some of these probiotics will make it to your stomach.
Dosages that are higher than what is currently available when taking Pro-B Fresh, you may experience some or all of the following side effects:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Cramping
- Nausea
Pricing and Return Policy
- One bottle: $19.95 with $2.95 shipping
- Two bottles: $34.95 with $4.95 shipping
- Three bottles: $49.95 with $6.95 shipping
- Four bottles: $64.95 with $8.95 shipping
If you live in California, you will pay sales tax on your purchase. Otherwise, there is no tax.
You have 90 days to return your probiotics if you aren’t happy with them. Call the company at (832) 532-3848 to notify them you want to make the return. They will give you instructions about what to include in your shipping box and how to package your supplements.
You’ll send the return to the following address: Pro-B Fresh, 10450 N. Airport Dr., Hayden, ID, 83835.
Available Alternatives
There are a couple of simple things you can do at home to increase your mouth bacteria without taking a supplement, said Dr. Michael W. Davis, a dentist and owner of New Mexico-based practice Smiles of Santa Fe.
Dr. Davis said that drinking enough water each day (eight 8-oz. Glasses) will keep your mouth moist with saliva. Saliva is full of good bacteria. Those good bacteria protect your mouth from bad bacteria.
Dr. Davis went on to tell us that decreasing sugar consumption will help your good bacteria, too, because bad bacteria consume sugar as food.
“You’ll want to reduce or eliminate fructose and glucose in your diet,” he said.
The Bottom Line: Who Can Benefit from Pro-B Fresh?
The ingredients in Pro-B Fresh have some scientific evidence behind them. In several different tests, they’ve shown they can help reduce your symptoms resulting from gingivitis and periodontal diseases.
However, Dr. Davis pointed out that there needs to be more research to give you an idea of exactly how well probiotics can help and which conditions they work best for.
That being said, Dr. Davis and Dr. David Nguy, a dentist who owns Toronto-based Atlas Dental, said there are certain types of people who will benefit from using chewable dental probiotics:
You Have Xerstomia: Xerstomia is a condition in which you don’t produce enough saliva in your mouth. Dr. Nguy said cancer treatments can cause this condition.
Taking an oral probiotic will boost your good bacteria levels and fight off gum inflammation and gum diseases that flourish in people with dry mouth.
Diabetics: Those with diabetes have an increased risk of gingivitis. Pro-B Fresh can boost your good bacteria levels, fighting off the symptoms and severity of the condition.
Mouth Breathers: Breathing with an open mouth while you sleep dries out the inside of your mouth. Because of this, you put yourself at a higher risk for cavities. If this is you, you could benefit from a probiotic boost.
You Have Cavities or Gum Disease: Cavities and/or gum disease is a sign that your oral health isn’t where it should be.
If your dentist tells you that you have either of these ailments, Dr. Nguy said dental probiotics could help.
“If you have had a visit to the dentist and you found out that you have cavities or gum disease, then taking probiotics could encourage good bacteria to crowd out bad bacteria is part of your oral wellness strategy,” he said.
If you floss and brush regularly, Dr. Nguy says there’s no reason to use dental probiotics.
“If a person is in good oral health, meaning no cavities or gum disease, then you probably do not need to make extra efforts to change the bacteria in their mouth,” Dr. Nguy said.
“Regular visits to the dentist and good oral hygiene techniques (think brushing and flossing regularly), will do just the trick.”