Hello and welcome back to STATE OF MIND hosted by Nutritional Therapist, Grace Kingswell.    Today's guest is Mehlaqa Khan; dentist, periodontal specialist and follower of nutritional therapy and functional medicine principles. She takes an innovative 360 degree approach to her dental patients, incorporating the functional medicine principles of systemic health.   In this epidote we’re talking about the oral microbiome and why it’s the number one step to maintaining good health overall. Your mouth is your first line of defence against invading pathogens and signals are sent from the mouth to the rest of the immune system when something enters that is potentially harmful to our health. Amazing!   The amount of knowledge in this episode is so incredible, you’ll learn why mouthwash isn’t the best way to look after your oral health, the difference that oral probiotics can make to periodontal disease, how gum disease occurs and why, and how leaky MOUTH is the first step on the road to leaky GUT.    We also discuss which toothpastes to buy, whether oil pulling and tongue scraping are 'woo woo' or scientifically sound, whether manual toothbrushes need to be a thing of the past and so much more...    Do share this episode to your insta stories if you enjoy it, and leave a review on the podcast app!    @gracekingswell @drmehlaqa @thgumguide