Last week, my dental hygienist did a full cleaning to check my oral microbiome health. She took X-rays, checked my gum pocket depths, and looked under magnification at my teeth.

Then she did what dentists have done for 30 years: she asked me the standard questions:

• “Are you flossing?”
• “How often do you brush?”
• “Any pain or sensitivity?”

But she didn’t ask the ONE question that would have told her everything about my oral health status. She didn’t ask: “How’s your oral microbiome?”

Why This Question Changes Everything

When a dentist asks “Are you flossing?”, they’re asking about BEHAVIOR. But behavior doesn’t determine oral health—dysbiosis does.

I know people who floss 3x daily and still have bleeding gums. I also know people who floss once a week with perfect gums. The difference? The microbiome. “How’s your microbiome?” is the only question that matters because it determines if you’ll have bleeding, bad breath, cavities, or gum disease.

How to Answer the Question Yourself

Since your dentist probably won’t ask, check yourself for the signs of a dysbiotic microbiome:

• Do your gums bleed when you floss?
• Does your breath smell bad even after brushing?
• Do you have red or swollen gums?
• Do you need professional cleanings more than twice a year?

If you answered YES to any of these, you are dealing with dysbiosis. You don’t need “more cleaning”—you need to restore your oral bacterial balance.