March 4, 2025 • 36 mins
It’s hard to believe that a product we use every day can cause harm to our overall health, but shockingly, some toothpaste brands contain harmful ingredients we should be avoiding. In this episode of Live Healthy Longer, Dr. Jim sits down with Vladimir Vukicevic, Co-Founder & CEO of Better & Better, to discuss the truth about fluoride, potentially detrimental chemicals in toothpaste, and a healthier “Vegan” alternative. Tune in to learn how to make better choices for your oral health and overall well-being!
Discover more about Better & Better or shop now https://betterandbetter.com/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to another episode of Live Healthy Longer
with Dr Jim.
We've read your requests for afocus on oral health and this
episode will give you somethingto smile about.
This podcast is supported inpart by Amazon Books.
(00:27):
Their slogan is everything fromA to Z, and I'll have two great
reading recommendations for youat the conclusion of this
episode.
So now here's our host,healthcare specialist author and
very popular podcaster, dr Jim.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yes, this is Dr Jim Polakoff, and I think it's time
that we visit the health of yourteeth.
So why don't we begin with someoverlooked toothful facts?
Bacteria that infect our gumscause gingivitis, but did you
know that this bacteria cantravel to our blood vessels and
other areas of your body In turn?
(01:05):
This can cause inflammation anddamage, which could form tiny
little blood clots, leading toheart attacks and strokes.
Yes, there are over 300different species of bacteria
found in plaque, so it takesconsistent brushing, flossing
and mouthwash to kill them.
Consistent brushing, flossingand mouthwash to kill them.
(01:27):
And did you know that teeth arethe only part of the human body
that can't repair itself?
That's right.
Tooth enamel is the hardestpart of your entire body, even
harder than bone, and if you'renot careful, you're unlikely to
avoid gum disease.
Three out of every fourAmericans have some form of
periodontal gum disease, whichmeans that 75% of our population
(01:50):
suffers from either gumirritation, bleeding or deposit
buildup.
In fact, gum disease is theleading cause of tooth loss for
adults older than 35.
The good news is that thesetoothful facts can be prevented
or controlled.
So let's begin with toothpasteNow.
(02:12):
The first toothpaste wasinvented about 200 years ago, in
1824 by a dentist named Peabody.
He simply added soap to dentalpaste.
Before this, people used avariety of substances to clean
their teeth, ranging fromcrushed shells to charcoal, but
(02:32):
since then, toothpaste has comea long way.
In 1956, Crest was the firstcompany to mass-market
fluorinated toothpaste, whichwas, in turn, approved by the
American Dental Association asan effective decay-preventing
agent.
However, debates continue tothis day about fluoride and its
(02:54):
potential health risks, so inthis episode, we're going to
discuss a vegan alternative,which leads me to my guest
expert, Vladimir Vukievich.
Vlad is the founder of Betterand Better, a vitamin-infused
toothpaste which is vegan andnatural.
Welcome to Live Healthy Longer,Vlad.
(03:16):
It's wonderful to be here.
Well, it's nice to have youbecause you're going to give us
a very unique insight.
Before we get into the besttype of toothpaste to use, let's
find out about you and yourinspiration to make teeth
healthier.
How did it all begin and tellus about you.
Sure, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
So I have a long history, a long experience with
my health and wellness.
I actually moved to the UnitedStates when I was six years old.
Health and wellness.
I actually moved to the UnitedStates when I was six years old
and fortunately, orunfortunately, I moved here for
(03:54):
health reasons.
So I was diagnosed with cancerwhen I was six years old.
Oh, my goodness, yes, and thatwas early 90s.
Serbia, yugoslavia back then.
It was a bad diagnosis to getthere, but thankfully my parents
had an acquaintance here in theUnited States, in New York at
Sloan Kettering, and so veryquickly we came over.
I was treated with chemotherapy, I was treated with various
(04:16):
other operations, surgeries, etcoh good, so six years old?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I mean that has to be traumatic for you.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It was quite an experience and I view it as both
you know obviously a hugechallenge, but also as a
blessing, because it brought mehere to the United States and it
gave me a new life and a newopportunity, and I've been
cancer free for 30 years now,since 1994.
(04:44):
I, as you can imagine, takegood care of my health.
I am a little bit paranoidabout health and wellness and
staying healthy.
I go for regular checkups and I, you know, take various
supplements, pills, et cetera,on a daily basis, and really
what we wanted to do with Betterand Better, first and foremost,
was to build a company thatincorporates health and wellness
(05:07):
into daily habits in a betterway.
And what we quickly realizedwas that oral health brushing
your teeth is probably one ofthe most universal oral habits
or daily habits that most peoplehave or should have, should
have, and that's why we startedwith toothpaste and started with
(05:27):
oral health.
But we view ourselves assomething much bigger than that.
This is just the beginning ofwhere uh, where we're going and
what we're building.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Wonderful, uh, and such great motivation and motive
behind what you've done.
And I can understand the healthissue.
Why, you know, obviously peoplejust don't understand the
importance of health when itcomes to teeth and we're
concerned about our heart, Ishould say, obviously, you know,
a big concern is cancer, as youexperience as a child, but our
(05:59):
teeth, my God.
We overlook it so often, but tome it was interesting because
there must have been a realchallenge to take on big
companies like Crest and Colgate.
They have these huge marketingbudgets and they have the
approval of the American DentalAssociation.
So, people, they believe thisis gospel, so to speak.
(06:19):
So let's talk about thedifferences between regular
toothpastes and better andbetter.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Sure.
So first and foremost, as youmentioned, oral health is viewed
as a separate concept, but it'svery much related to the rest
of our body.
It's the beginning of ourgastrointestinal system.
It's where we start to digestfood and absorb nutrients, both
(06:49):
through our bloodstream and aswe begin to swallow.
So keeping your mouth healthyis profoundly important, not
just for your mouth and for yourappearance, but also for your
brain, for your heart, for allthe rest of your body.
So that's kind of the baselineoff of which we're working from
In terms of how Better andBetter compares.
What we quickly realized whenwe started developing our
(07:12):
toothpaste is that if you lookat the other formulations in the
market, there is stuff in therethat you do not want in your
mouth on a daily basis.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Animal-derived correct?
I don't think most people areaware of this.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
That's right, they're animal animal derived
ingredients Animal derivedglycerins and various kind of
thickeners.
There is something calledtitanium dioxide, which is
basically white paint.
It's what makes Colgate andCrest look so white when you
squeeze it onto your toothbrushtoothbrush, because they're
(07:45):
basically putting white paintinto the toothpaste.
That's actually an ingredientthat's been banned in Europe and
most other countries beyond theUnited.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
States Is that right?
So Crest Colgate might have aproblem selling their regular
toothpaste in Europe.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
They're changing some of the formulations Europe
they're changing some of theformulations Interesting.
And also, titanium dioxide usedto be in food as well, but now
it's being removed from food.
It's being removed from thingsthat are swallowed, but of
course, as you can imagine, someof our toothpaste gets
swallowed and absorbed as well.
Then there is something calledsodium lauryl sulfate, which is
(08:21):
basically kind of a soap typeproduct that creates the foam
and that creates the kind of bigmouthfeel.
But a lot of people get cankersores and they get irritations
from that.
And then finally, of course,there is fluoride.
I think fluoride we could spendhours discussing.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Oh, there's always been a big debate about fluoride
.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
On its own, yes, but what we're seeing more and more
is people are realizing thatfluoride isn't just something
good.
It is good and potentially bad.
There are tradeoffs to fluoride, and the idea that fluoride
needs to be in our toothpaste isno longer the case, and so I
(09:07):
think Well, it's in our water,so we have to keep that in mind.
That's right.
It's in our water, it's in ourwine, it's in our coffee, it's
in any place where the waterends up being as well, and so I
think that number one differencebetween Better, better and all
these other big brands is thatwe've kind of gone from, we've
(09:28):
built this from scratch,focusing on natural, clean,
organic ingredients, so thatwhat you get in your toothpaste
is basically food grade qualityingredients that have not been
ever put at this level intotoothpaste and into oral care
products before.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Well, that's very interesting.
Now, one of the things that Idiscussed in my introduction
obviously is plaque.
I mean, that's something thataffects our overall dental
health, health and perhaps, asfar as the plaque is concerned,
I'm sure that many say, oh well,you know, if we go to a vegan
(10:13):
toothpaste, it's not going toget rid of the plaque.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
I think that's erroneous.
Am I correct?
You are absolutely correct.
The main reason for plaqueoften stems from a imbalance of
the oral microbiome, which meansthat the oral microbiome, it's
the good bacteria, the badbacteria, all the things in your
mouth that exist and live andmake you healthy and happy.
(10:37):
When that gets disrupted, theplaque starts to build.
So plaque isn't just kind ofdebris, it's actually bacteria
and the bacteria eating thatdebris that often leads to the
plaque and that leads to thechallenges that stem from plaque
.
So number one most importantfactor is to keep that oral
(10:59):
microbiome healthy, and the bestway to keep it healthy is
through a toothpaste, is throughoral care that doesn't disrupt
it in a way that is disruptiveto the oral microbiome, that
creates a positive environmentfor your mouth and that
naturally fights plaque, asopposed to really hitting it
(11:21):
hard with something like analcoholic-based mouthwash or the
more traditional kind ofextreme toothpaste.
So number one thing keep themicrobiome healthy, and what
we've done is crafted atoothpaste that does exactly
that.
Our main ingredients within ourtoothpaste are coconut-based,
so coconut and coconut oils arereally good for the good
(11:43):
bacteria in your mouth.
It feeds the good bacteria andprevents the bad bacteria from
overcoming the environmentwithin your mouth, and thus, not
only is vegan naturaltoothpaste equal, but I believe
we believe it's better thantraditional toothpaste in terms
of fighting plaque and removingthe plaque that is often built
(12:06):
up in the mouth.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Well, as I mentioned in my introduction, you know
there are hundreds of forms ofbacteria that are in our mouth.
That's right, and obviouslythese can lead I mean there are
serious consequences.
They can, as a dentist willtell you, it can lead to heart
disease.
It could even lead to forms ofcancer.
Yes, so obviously the plaque issuch a key element, and how
(12:30):
does?
Can you get into it a littlebit more?
I mean, how does yourtoothpaste actually fight the
plaque itself?
Since they don't, it doesn'thave the typical ingredients
that most toothpastes do yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
So we do have um, a couple things in there that are
just baseline really good.
So we have, uh, baking soda.
So, um, soda, a little bit ofbaking soda, goes a long way in
fighting and removing badbacteria and removing the plaque
that comes from that.
In addition to that, we we'vedone some really creative things
(13:01):
in terms of natural ingredients.
So we have radish root extract.
So we use radish root extractas a natural antibacterial for
some of the bad bacteria, toremove and to fight the bad
bacteria.
And it's not it's not harsh andit doesn't kill the good
bacteria in the same way thatsome of the more like peroxide
(13:23):
or some of the more extreme kindof ingredients tend to do.
So it does.
It does good without doing harm, which I think is really,
really important for toothpaste.
So between the coconut-basedingredients, between kind of
these natural baking soda, forinstance, or radish root extract
(13:44):
, we've done a really carefuljob of not killing the good
bacteria while being able toremove and clean the teeth in a
natural, gentle way.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Well, that makes a lot of sense.
Now, one of the things that Inoted.
You know which, as anutritionist, I have to say that
extremely important.
We're always looking forsupplementation to our health,
to our food, and your Better andBetter toothpaste is actually
infused with vitamins.
It is Now which vitamins are wetalking about and perhaps,
(14:17):
maybe, you can get into thebenefits of these vitamins for
our teeth and our mouth.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Absolutely so.
We, and we're about to launchsome additional toothpaste soon
as well, so more to come soonbut so the main vitamins that
we're sticking with right noware the vitamins that have been
proven to support oral care andfull body health and wellness as
well.
So that includes vitamin D, itincludes zinc, it includes
(14:46):
vitamin B12 and vitamin E.
So those are the four vitaminsthat we have.
And then, in addition to that,we have calcium in our
toothpaste as well, so addedcalcium for extra bone strength
and for teeth strength as well.
And for all of these vitaminsand minerals, there is both a
(15:07):
mouth benefit, so it helps yourteeth, it helps your gums and it
helps the overall mouth.
And then, in addition to that,these vitamins do end up getting
absorbed through yoursublingual absorption process,
through the buccal absorptionprocess in the cheeks and the
gums, so they end up in yourbloodstream as well and they're
(15:27):
beneficial to the full body, inaddition to the mouth microbiome
as well.
So everything that we do isvery intentional and it needs to
have dual purpose.
It needs to be good for themouth and good for the body at
the same time.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Let's focus on the absorption aspect of it.
You know I counsel many of thepatients that I've had.
Yeah, you know I counsel manyof the patients that I've had.
I counsel them on, you know theimportance of, you know,
obviously, the supplements thatyou buy at a drugstore or the
typical pharmacy or supermarket.
In particular, thebioavailability, the actual
(16:05):
absorption, is very low.
How do your vitamins actuallybecome absorbed and how
effective is that absorption?
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Yeah, so sublingual and transbucal absorption so
absorption below the tongue andabsorption through the cheeks
and the gums has been used formedicinal purposes for decades.
Oftentimes it's used for painrelief.
It's used for some of theselike THC and CBD A lot of people
(16:34):
have nicotine pouches in theirmouth so oftentimes maybe it's
not used for the most positivethings, but it is very effective
, and what we've done is takenthis very powerful force and
applied it to supplements andmicronutrients that could be
absorbed in the same way throughthe cheeks, the gums and below
the tongue, and we've pickedvitamins that have the most
(16:55):
science behind them.
So vitamin D, vitamin B12,we're leveraging about 26
clinical studies that have shownthat these micronutrients are
very quickly absorbed into thebloodstream through the mouth,
and so that's why we pickedvitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin
E, zinc and calcium as the mainmicronutrients for our delivery
(17:18):
mechanism through the toothpaste.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
So, as we're actually swishing our mouth after
brushing, our teeth it doesn'tall go away.
It actually gets absorbedbefore that final process is
completed.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Correct.
Within the first 30 secondsthere's a rapid amount of
absorption and then, since mostpeople brush about a minute to
two minutes, it's basically acurve, so it jumps up and then
slowly is absorbed through therest of the time and then you
spit out.
So what that means is you canabsorb as much as 50% of the
micronutrients within the firsttwo minutes of brushing your
(17:53):
teeth, and then additionally andthis is kind of like the dirty
little secret of the toothpasteworld we also swallow a fair
amount of our toothpaste.
So adults swallow somewherebetween 20, about 10 to 20% of
the toothpaste in their mouth,and kids swallow about 50% of
the toothpaste.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Oh my goodness, Really.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yes, yeah, and so between adults and kids, not
only are you getting thesublingual and transbuccal
absorption, but you're alsohonestly swallowing some of it
additionally as well.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Well, and that's rather interesting because
obviously a fact that Imentioned in our introduction,
and that is that the averageAmerican in particular, only
brushes their teeth about 48seconds, that's about as much
time as they spend on it, anddentists recommend obviously two
minutes.
So the other positive thing isto brush longer, because your
(18:49):
absorbability is even going tobe greater correct.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Generally, two minutes is a really good
baseline for brushing, but we weknow that that's not, like you
said, not necessarily the casefor most people.
So we want to give the biggestbang for your buck within the
first 30 to 60 seconds andthat's that's.
That's what we've done withinwithin the, within our
toothpaste.
Good to know.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, now, obviously a big motivator a huge motivator
when it comes to peoplechoosing a toothpaste is the
demand for whiter teeth.
Sure, now it appears, I thinkyou have a brand, your Purity
brand addresses whitening.
Explain that to us.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, so, um, uh, like I mentioned before, the
baking soda that we haveinserted into our toothpaste
does actually have a whiteningeffect.
Um, it's, you know, clinicallyshown to, to, to to whiten teeth
.
Uh, so we, we, uh, we're ableto leverage that as the uh
whitening element.
Um, I think it's.
It's important to talk aboutthat.
(19:50):
You don't want abrasives inyour toothpaste that are
actually removing the enamel.
And these hardcore whiteningtoothpastes, yeah, they'll make
your teeth whiter, but they'realso going to remove the enamel
in a way that is quitedetrimental over an extended
period of time.
(20:10):
So we want to do a little bitof that.
We want to be gentle to theteeth, but we don't want your
teeth actually losing thatprotective layer that most other
toothpastes unfortunately,particularly the hardcore kind
of whitening toothpastes, tendto do.
They're not really that goodfor your teeth, even though they
might make them whiter in theshort term.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Well, particularly when you referred earlier to
painting, my God, I pictured inmy mouth the fact that you're
actually painting your teeth,and I'm thinking of painting a
wall or whatever and puttingthat in your mouth.
That's a bit of a shocker.
Let's get away from thetoothpaste for a moment and
let's talk about the instrumentthat we use.
Toothpaste for a moment andlet's talk about the instrument
(20:55):
that we use.
I researched it and apparentlythe first known toothbrush was
invented about 3000 BC by theEgyptians, and they didn't call
it, but we refer to it as a chewstick made from a thin twig.
Now, today there's a widevariety of my God.
You go into Walmart or wherever, you see this huge variety of
toothbrushes, but I'm intriguedabout your bamboo sonic version.
(21:16):
Can you tell us a little bitabout that?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Yes, I have one right here in front of me.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Our listeners won't be able to see it, but yes, but
that's fine.
We'll maybe see it on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
It's beautiful, it is beautiful, by the way, thank
you.
Um so um, it is beautiful, bythe way, thank you.
Uh, the bamboo sun is reallyinteresting because, uh, the
sonic toothbrushes have beenshown to clean teeth better, so
they do remove plaque and theydo do remove, uh, build up quite
effectively in a powerful waybecause of those sonic pulses
that are that are removing.
(21:46):
But the challenge with them isusually they're all plastic.
The heads that you throw outare all plastic as well, so it's
very wasteful in terms of anenvironmental impact.
And now, as more and morepeople are concerned with
microplastics, particularlywithin their mouth, within their
body, what we realized is thatthere was a major need in the
(22:08):
market for a toothbrush whereyou're not actually putting
plastic in your mouth, and soobviously, the electrical part,
the thing that vibrates, thathas some plastic components in
it, but the actual thing thatyou're putting in your mouth is
100% plant-based, so it's abamboo head.
And then, in addition to that,we use natural castor bean based
(22:31):
brushes, white brushes, on topof the bamboo head, so it's
completely plant based brushhead.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I don't think people recognize the fact that bamboo
is actually related to the plantfamily.
It is yeah.
Yes, I don't think peoplerealize that we just think of
these stocks that come up and ina Polynesian sense, but that's
very interesting.
So, rather than other than justbeing attractive, the truth
brush itself.
The bamboo actually has aoffers, a healthful benefit.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
That's right.
It allows our customers in theworld to really clean their
teeth quite well without havingto basically put a big plastic
stick in their mouth once ortwice a day.
And I think that is more andmore concerned now because, if
you look at all the microplastickind of discussions that have
(23:20):
emerged over the last few years,if we can remove as much as we
can, we can make an impact andwe can improve our health and
well-being.
And in addition to that it'scompletely biodegradable.
So when you throw it out, itwon't take 2,000 years to
biodegrade.
It'll actually take a few yearsand it'll be quite beneficial
(23:41):
in terms of an environmentalimpact as well.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Environmental, exactly, which is another good
reason for it.
Now, obviously, mouth sprays.
We're using mouthwashes or atleast I think we should on a
fairly regular basis.
Many people use mouth sprays tofreshen their breath, of course
, or to relieve dryness.
Now your company offers betterand better.
(24:03):
It offers an oral spray andagain you're putting vitamins
into it.
So I'm curious about thevitamins, how they're actually
absorbed in a mouth spray.
Can you talk about that and thebenefits?
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Yeah.
So what we realized from ourcustomers, based on their
feedback, was that they can'tbrush their teeth all the time.
They can't do it after lunch ifthey're at work, or they can't
do it after dinner if they'reout.
So our customers were askingcan you basically give us the
benefits of the better andbetter toothpaste without
toothpaste?
And what we realized you know,we tested a bunch of different
(24:37):
form factors and what werealized is that the spray is
kind of an ideal way of doingthat.
And so what we've done isincorporated and built a mouth
spray again from scratch, soonly natural, clean and, in many
cases, organic ingredients.
And then On top of that we'veadded the micronutrients.
Vitamin D has a couple ofingredients like xylitol in it
(25:19):
that help with creating a goodmouthfeel and a good mouth
sensation.
And then, in addition to that,the micronutrients.
Again, they're absorbedsublingually, so through your
tongue, through the cheeks,transbuchally, and then the
mouth spray is swallowed at theend.
So it is a double effect.
It's both the mouth effect andyou ingest it afterwards as well
(25:42):
.
You spray it, you kind of keepit in there for about 10 to 20
seconds and then you swallowwhat's in there and it's
perfectly gentle and food-gradequality supplement at that point
.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
And what about bad breath?
Does it address the bad breathissue?
It does what?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
we found is that it helps bad breath.
Again, it's not meant to bekind of hitting you hard, it's
really meant to deliver a betteroral microbiome.
So it reduces bad breath overtime because the good bacteria
overwhelm the bad bacteria andit creates a positive effect in
the mouth.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
And I'm assuming this is something that a woman can
carry in their purse or a mancan slip into his pocket.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
That's right.
I usually carry it in my pocketor, you know, in my backpack,
and it's a great product tocarry along if you're traveling,
especially because of the zincand it has a little vitamin C in
it as well.
So it does have kind of animmunity benefit as well in
terms of you know, on the go.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Well, what about the taste?
Well, after you've eaten adinner, for example, or whatever
you're out to dinner, you wantto freshen your breath, you want
to freshen your mouth.
What sort of taste are weexperiencing?
Speaker 3 (26:50):
It's a mint cucumber taste, so we want it to go minty
, but with a little twist of akind of a healthy plant-based
flavor as well.
So it's a very nice fresh mintcucumber flavor.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
All right, so it's nothing that we're going to.
Oh my God, what have I just putin my mouth?
Speaker 3 (27:07):
No no.
You should have seen thedifferent testing and product
development that we're doing.
Product development that we'redoing we probably went through a
few thousand different tasteformulations to get to the right
one in terms of it had to beboth refreshing but also natural
and clean and positive for yourmouth.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Wonderful.
Now let's turn to a wholedifferent subject.
I mean pet foods.
We're going to get to that fora second.
I mean, they've become a reallybig deal.
We're seeing TV commercialsdepicting comic debates where,
oh my God, my pet's food is inthe refrigerator.
What's it doing in therefrigerator?
But now you've taken it a stepfurther.
(27:47):
Now you have a toothbrush fordogs called Petsy.
Am I right Petsy?
That's right Petsy, that'sright Pet-C.
And in fact I understand thisbrush.
Correct me if I'm wrong, butthe brush actually cleans your
dog's teeth without usingtoothpaste.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
That's right.
That's right.
So a lot of what we've realizedthat a lot of dogs.
Well, first and foremost, oralhealth is really important for
dogs, in some cases more so thaneven humans, in some cases more
so than even humans.
There are studies out therethat show that dogs with healthy
(28:25):
oral care routines can actuallylive a few years longer than
dogs whose teeth are ignored,which means that you could
extend the life of your dog ifyou just take a little bit
better care of their oral care.
And so, with that baseline, wewanted to develop a toothbrush
that was very easy to use,because it's not easy to brush
your dog's teeth, and one of thebiggest difficulties is that if
(28:47):
you put toothpaste in a dog'smouth, they kind of go crazy.
A lot of dogs don't, I imagine,right, they don't like that.
And so what we had to do isfind a technology that allowed
for, with just a little bit ofwater, to actually pull the
plaque and the bacteria awayfrom the teeth.
And so what we found is,through electrolytic technology,
which is what the Pansytoothbrush utilizes, with a
(29:10):
little bit of water you can justquickly brush their teeth and
it'll actually we've seen likeunder the microscope it'll pull
away the bacteria from theirteeth and give them a cleaner,
fresher teeth over an extendedperiod of time.
So this is a very uniquetechnology.
It's never been applied likethis.
It's used widely, but not indog toothbrushes and so far it's
(29:33):
doing really well.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
People really love this toothbrush so, but without
the toothpaste.
How does it get the dog's teethclean?
Speaker 3 (29:40):
With just a little bit of water and that kind of
magnetic effect that I wasspeaking of, it literally draws
out the bacteria and the plaqueaway from the teeth, and so you
just brush it off, you rinse itoff and it's done.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
So you rinse off the brush, but I mean, the dog
really doesn't need to doanything else.
He's absorbed what's necessaryand you've gotten rid of what is
unnecessary.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
That's right and especially if you do it
consistently, you know obviouslyrecommendation is daily, but
most people.
If they brush a few times aweek, they're in much better
shape than if they don't.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
That makes a great deal of sense, absolutely Well,
you know this is I'm looking attime's pretty much up on an
interview, but I God we'vecovered a lot of ground.
But as I conclude, I mean thisis very interesting and I know
that my audience is going towant to look further into it,
read more about it.
I'm assuming that the best wayto learn more about what you
(30:43):
have to offer, how you get it,all of those good things you go
to betterandbettercom Is thatthe place to go.
That's right.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
We publish everything there.
Obviously, you can purchase ourproducts, but in addition, our
scientists are publishing theirstudies there.
We are writing about ourproducts and how we're building
new products all the time, sobetterandbettercom is the best
place to go.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
And of course we want to use the word and A-N-D, so
it's betterandbettercom.
That's right, better and A-N-DBettercom.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Well, we're going to hear a little bit more about it
because obviously, our narratoris going to again remind folks
how they're going to be able toaccess your website, but also I
want to remind our listenersthat we have the information on
our website as well.
So, along with any links, vlad,that you might want to send us,
(31:40):
we are happy to publish those,because many of our listeners do
come to that website from timeto time.
In any case, I want to thankyou for being with us.
You've been an excellent guestand some very unique, shall we
say, information that I thinkpeople were simply not aware of.
You've certainly enlightened meand I want to thank you for
that.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
Thank you for having me.
I hope I can come back as weevolve as a company and we can
delve?
Into even more topics, thenAbsolutely Well.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
There's more to come, as you've already said, in any
case, to my listeners, I'll beright back with a few more
toothful facts and we'll take itfrom there.
But again, vlad, thank you somuch for joining us.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
You can learn more about dental health and the
unique products offered byBetter Better by going to their
website betterandbettercomBetter spell out and A-N-D
bettercom.
But you can also find thisinformation, along with other
great podcasts, by visiting ourwebsite jamespolakoffcom that's
James P-O-L-A-K-O-F dot comAgain jamespolakoffcom.
(32:47):
We also have two great booksyou can sink your teeth into,
which include Live HealthyLonger with Dr Jim, written by
our own Dr Jim Polakoff, butremember to add with Dr Jim in
the title Live Healthy Longerwith Dr Jim.
Plus, you'll also find a seriesof terrific reviews on Amazon.
(33:10):
Visit Amazoncom Also.
For those cosmetic surgery fans, the Real you Only Better is a
great read.
Again, you'll find both bookson Amazon.
Now back to Dr Jim.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I again wish to thank Vladimir Bukievich, but now
let's sink our teeth intotruthful facts.
We should know about dentalcare and I have to ask.
Please pardon my puns, I simplycouldn't resist with the
subject matter.
Having said this, consistentcaring for your teeth is an
important matter that most of usneed to give serious attention.
(33:49):
Let's move on to a few morefacts that will put a smile on
your face.
Recent research has shown thatthe time you spend brushing your
teeth is only 48 seconds.
However, most dentistsrecommend brushing at least two
minutes to achieve a clean mouth.
Recent research has shown thatthe time you spend brushing your
(34:11):
teeth is only 48 seconds.
However, most dentistsrecommend spending at least two
minutes to achieve a clean mouth.
And did you know that airborneparticles that arise from toilet
flushing can actually maketheir way to the bristles on
your toothbrush?
So keep your distance and don'tplace a cap on your toothbrush.
(34:34):
Did you know that the cap onthe toothbrush can actually
cause bacteria to accumulate andfester in a moist environment?
In fact, when you're using amouthwash, it might be a good
practice to rinse the bristlesof the toothbrush with your
mouthwash at least every now andthen.
Enough of these warnings.
(34:54):
Let's put a smile on your face.
Did you know that 50% of peoplesay that a person's smile is
the first physical trait thatthey notice?
In fact, an American Academy ofCosmetic Dentistry study found
that 57% of people say that asmile from a stranger makes them
(35:15):
want to smile and can improvetheir day.
And fellas, this is for you.
The average woman smiles about62 times a day, but most men
only smile 8 times in a day.
So let's get with it, guys.
Nix the bad mood and get happy.
You actually use less musclesto smile and more muscles to
(35:37):
frown.
But there's even more todiscover in terms of toothful
facts.
I strongly recommend you readmy latest blog, dr Jim's Best
Foods for Healthy Teeth that canput a smile on your face.
Simply go to our website,jamespolikoffcom, and click on
blogs.
You'll be surprised at what youdiscover.
(35:59):
This is Dr Jim Polikoff, withmy sincere thanks to you for
joining me once again, andremember a new episode of Live
Healthy Longer is available eachand every Wednesday.
In the meantime, my wishes toyou for a healthy, happy, long
life.
Welcome to another episode of Live Healthy Longer
with Dr Jim.
We've read your requests for afocus on oral health and this
episode will give you somethingto smile about.
This podcast is supported inpart by Amazon Books.
(00:27):
Their slogan is everything fromA to Z, and I'll have two great
reading recommendations for youat the conclusion of this
episode.
So now here's our host,healthcare specialist author and
very popular podcaster, dr Jim.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yes, this is Dr Jim Polakoff, and I think it's time
that we visit the health of yourteeth.
So why don't we begin with someoverlooked toothful facts?
Bacteria that infect our gumscause gingivitis, but did you
know that this bacteria cantravel to our blood vessels and
other areas of your body In turn?
(01:05):
This can cause inflammation anddamage, which could form tiny
little blood clots, leading toheart attacks and strokes.
Yes, there are over 300different species of bacteria
found in plaque, so it takesconsistent brushing, flossing
and mouthwash to kill them.
Consistent brushing, flossingand mouthwash to kill them.
(01:27):
And did you know that teeth arethe only part of the human body
that can't repair itself?
That's right.
Tooth enamel is the hardestpart of your entire body, even
harder than bone, and if you'renot careful, you're unlikely to
avoid gum disease.
Three out of every fourAmericans have some form of
periodontal gum disease, whichmeans that 75% of our population
(01:50):
suffers from either gumirritation, bleeding or deposit
buildup.
In fact, gum disease is theleading cause of tooth loss for
adults older than 35.
The good news is that thesetoothful facts can be prevented
or controlled.
So let's begin with toothpasteNow.
(02:12):
The first toothpaste wasinvented about 200 years ago, in
1824 by a dentist named Peabody.
He simply added soap to dentalpaste.
Before this, people used avariety of substances to clean
their teeth, ranging fromcrushed shells to charcoal, but
(02:32):
since then, toothpaste has comea long way.
In 1956, Crest was the firstcompany to mass-market
fluorinated toothpaste, whichwas, in turn, approved by the
American Dental Association asan effective decay-preventing
agent.
However, debates continue tothis day about fluoride and its
(02:54):
potential health risks, so inthis episode, we're going to
discuss a vegan alternative,which leads me to my guest
expert, Vladimir Vukievich.
Vlad is the founder of Betterand Better, a vitamin-infused
toothpaste which is vegan andnatural.
Welcome to Live Healthy Longer,Vlad.
(03:16):
It's wonderful to be here.
Well, it's nice to have youbecause you're going to give us
a very unique insight.
Before we get into the besttype of toothpaste to use, let's
find out about you and yourinspiration to make teeth
healthier.
How did it all begin and tellus about you.
Sure, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
So I have a long history, a long experience with
my health and wellness.
I actually moved to the UnitedStates when I was six years old.
Health and wellness.
I actually moved to the UnitedStates when I was six years old
and fortunately, orunfortunately, I moved here for
(03:54):
health reasons.
So I was diagnosed with cancerwhen I was six years old.
Oh, my goodness, yes, and thatwas early 90s.
Serbia, yugoslavia back then.
It was a bad diagnosis to getthere, but thankfully my parents
had an acquaintance here in theUnited States, in New York at
Sloan Kettering, and so veryquickly we came over.
I was treated with chemotherapy, I was treated with various
(04:16):
other operations, surgeries, etcoh good, so six years old?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I mean that has to be traumatic for you.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
It was quite an experience and I view it as both
you know obviously a hugechallenge, but also as a
blessing, because it brought mehere to the United States and it
gave me a new life and a newopportunity, and I've been
cancer free for 30 years now,since 1994.
(04:44):
I, as you can imagine, takegood care of my health.
I am a little bit paranoidabout health and wellness and
staying healthy.
I go for regular checkups and I, you know, take various
supplements, pills, et cetera,on a daily basis, and really
what we wanted to do with Betterand Better, first and foremost,
was to build a company thatincorporates health and wellness
(05:07):
into daily habits in a betterway.
And what we quickly realizedwas that oral health brushing
your teeth is probably one ofthe most universal oral habits
or daily habits that most peoplehave or should have, should
have, and that's why we startedwith toothpaste and started with
(05:27):
oral health.
But we view ourselves assomething much bigger than that.
This is just the beginning ofwhere uh, where we're going and
what we're building.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Wonderful, uh, and such great motivation and motive
behind what you've done.
And I can understand the healthissue.
Why, you know, obviously peoplejust don't understand the
importance of health when itcomes to teeth and we're
concerned about our heart, Ishould say, obviously, you know,
a big concern is cancer, as youexperience as a child, but our
(05:59):
teeth, my God.
We overlook it so often, but tome it was interesting because
there must have been a realchallenge to take on big
companies like Crest and Colgate.
They have these huge marketingbudgets and they have the
approval of the American DentalAssociation.
So, people, they believe thisis gospel, so to speak.
(06:19):
So let's talk about thedifferences between regular
toothpastes and better andbetter.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Sure.
So first and foremost, as youmentioned, oral health is viewed
as a separate concept, but it'svery much related to the rest
of our body.
It's the beginning of ourgastrointestinal system.
It's where we start to digestfood and absorb nutrients, both
(06:49):
through our bloodstream and aswe begin to swallow.
So keeping your mouth healthyis profoundly important, not
just for your mouth and for yourappearance, but also for your
brain, for your heart, for allthe rest of your body.
So that's kind of the baselineoff of which we're working from
In terms of how Better andBetter compares.
What we quickly realized whenwe started developing our
(07:12):
toothpaste is that if you lookat the other formulations in the
market, there is stuff in therethat you do not want in your
mouth on a daily basis.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Animal-derived correct?
I don't think most people areaware of this.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
That's right, they're animal animal derived
ingredients Animal derivedglycerins and various kind of
thickeners.
There is something calledtitanium dioxide, which is
basically white paint.
It's what makes Colgate andCrest look so white when you
squeeze it onto your toothbrushtoothbrush, because they're
(07:45):
basically putting white paintinto the toothpaste.
That's actually an ingredientthat's been banned in Europe and
most other countries beyond theUnited.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
States Is that right?
So Crest Colgate might have aproblem selling their regular
toothpaste in Europe.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
They're changing some of the formulations Europe
they're changing some of theformulations Interesting.
And also, titanium dioxide usedto be in food as well, but now
it's being removed from food.
It's being removed from thingsthat are swallowed, but of
course, as you can imagine, someof our toothpaste gets
swallowed and absorbed as well.
Then there is something calledsodium lauryl sulfate, which is
(08:21):
basically kind of a soap typeproduct that creates the foam
and that creates the kind of bigmouthfeel.
But a lot of people get cankersores and they get irritations
from that.
And then finally, of course,there is fluoride.
I think fluoride we could spendhours discussing.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Oh, there's always been a big debate about fluoride
.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
On its own, yes, but what we're seeing more and more
is people are realizing thatfluoride isn't just something
good.
It is good and potentially bad.
There are tradeoffs to fluoride, and the idea that fluoride
needs to be in our toothpaste isno longer the case, and so I
(09:07):
think Well, it's in our water,so we have to keep that in mind.
That's right.
It's in our water, it's in ourwine, it's in our coffee, it's
in any place where the waterends up being as well, and so I
think that number one differencebetween Better, better and all
these other big brands is thatwe've kind of gone from, we've
(09:28):
built this from scratch,focusing on natural, clean,
organic ingredients, so thatwhat you get in your toothpaste
is basically food grade qualityingredients that have not been
ever put at this level intotoothpaste and into oral care
products before.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Well, that's very interesting.
Now, one of the things that Idiscussed in my introduction
obviously is plaque.
I mean, that's something thataffects our overall dental
health, health and perhaps, asfar as the plaque is concerned,
I'm sure that many say, oh well,you know, if we go to a vegan
(10:13):
toothpaste, it's not going toget rid of the plaque.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
I think that's erroneous.
Am I correct?
You are absolutely correct.
The main reason for plaqueoften stems from a imbalance of
the oral microbiome, which meansthat the oral microbiome, it's
the good bacteria, the badbacteria, all the things in your
mouth that exist and live andmake you healthy and happy.
(10:37):
When that gets disrupted, theplaque starts to build.
So plaque isn't just kind ofdebris, it's actually bacteria
and the bacteria eating thatdebris that often leads to the
plaque and that leads to thechallenges that stem from plaque
.
So number one most importantfactor is to keep that oral
(10:59):
microbiome healthy, and the bestway to keep it healthy is
through a toothpaste, is throughoral care that doesn't disrupt
it in a way that is disruptiveto the oral microbiome, that
creates a positive environmentfor your mouth and that
naturally fights plaque, asopposed to really hitting it
(11:21):
hard with something like analcoholic-based mouthwash or the
more traditional kind ofextreme toothpaste.
So number one thing keep themicrobiome healthy, and what
we've done is crafted atoothpaste that does exactly
that.
Our main ingredients within ourtoothpaste are coconut-based,
so coconut and coconut oils arereally good for the good
(11:43):
bacteria in your mouth.
It feeds the good bacteria andprevents the bad bacteria from
overcoming the environmentwithin your mouth, and thus, not
only is vegan naturaltoothpaste equal, but I believe
we believe it's better thantraditional toothpaste in terms
of fighting plaque and removingthe plaque that is often built
(12:06):
up in the mouth.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Well, as I mentioned in my introduction, you know
there are hundreds of forms ofbacteria that are in our mouth.
That's right, and obviouslythese can lead I mean there are
serious consequences.
They can, as a dentist willtell you, it can lead to heart
disease.
It could even lead to forms ofcancer.
Yes, so obviously the plaque issuch a key element, and how
(12:30):
does?
Can you get into it a littlebit more?
I mean, how does yourtoothpaste actually fight the
plaque itself?
Since they don't, it doesn'thave the typical ingredients
that most toothpastes do yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
So we do have um, a couple things in there that are
just baseline really good.
So we have, uh, baking soda.
So, um, soda, a little bit ofbaking soda, goes a long way in
fighting and removing badbacteria and removing the plaque
that comes from that.
In addition to that, we we'vedone some really creative things
(13:01):
in terms of natural ingredients.
So we have radish root extract.
So we use radish root extractas a natural antibacterial for
some of the bad bacteria, toremove and to fight the bad
bacteria.
And it's not it's not harsh andit doesn't kill the good
bacteria in the same way thatsome of the more like peroxide
(13:23):
or some of the more extreme kindof ingredients tend to do.
So it does.
It does good without doing harm, which I think is really,
really important for toothpaste.
So between the coconut-basedingredients, between kind of
these natural baking soda, forinstance, or radish root extract
(13:44):
, we've done a really carefuljob of not killing the good
bacteria while being able toremove and clean the teeth in a
natural, gentle way.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Well, that makes a lot of sense.
Now, one of the things that Inoted.
You know which, as anutritionist, I have to say that
extremely important.
We're always looking forsupplementation to our health,
to our food, and your Better andBetter toothpaste is actually
infused with vitamins.
It is Now which vitamins are wetalking about and perhaps,
(14:17):
maybe, you can get into thebenefits of these vitamins for
our teeth and our mouth.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Absolutely so.
We, and we're about to launchsome additional toothpaste soon
as well, so more to come soonbut so the main vitamins that
we're sticking with right noware the vitamins that have been
proven to support oral care andfull body health and wellness as
well.
So that includes vitamin D, itincludes zinc, it includes
(14:46):
vitamin B12 and vitamin E.
So those are the four vitaminsthat we have.
And then, in addition to that,we have calcium in our
toothpaste as well, so addedcalcium for extra bone strength
and for teeth strength as well.
And for all of these vitaminsand minerals, there is both a
(15:07):
mouth benefit, so it helps yourteeth, it helps your gums and it
helps the overall mouth.
And then, in addition to that,these vitamins do end up getting
absorbed through yoursublingual absorption process,
through the buccal absorptionprocess in the cheeks and the
gums, so they end up in yourbloodstream as well and they're
(15:27):
beneficial to the full body, inaddition to the mouth microbiome
as well.
So everything that we do isvery intentional and it needs to
have dual purpose.
It needs to be good for themouth and good for the body at
the same time.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Let's focus on the absorption aspect of it.
You know I counsel many of thepatients that I've had.
Yeah, you know I counsel manyof the patients that I've had.
I counsel them on, you know theimportance of, you know,
obviously, the supplements thatyou buy at a drugstore or the
typical pharmacy or supermarket.
In particular, thebioavailability, the actual
(16:05):
absorption, is very low.
How do your vitamins actuallybecome absorbed and how
effective is that absorption?
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Yeah, so sublingual and transbucal absorption so
absorption below the tongue andabsorption through the cheeks
and the gums has been used formedicinal purposes for decades.
Oftentimes it's used for painrelief.
It's used for some of theselike THC and CBD A lot of people
(16:34):
have nicotine pouches in theirmouth so oftentimes maybe it's
not used for the most positivethings, but it is very effective
, and what we've done is takenthis very powerful force and
applied it to supplements andmicronutrients that could be
absorbed in the same way throughthe cheeks, the gums and below
the tongue, and we've pickedvitamins that have the most
(16:55):
science behind them.
So vitamin D, vitamin B12,we're leveraging about 26
clinical studies that have shownthat these micronutrients are
very quickly absorbed into thebloodstream through the mouth,
and so that's why we pickedvitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin
E, zinc and calcium as the mainmicronutrients for our delivery
(17:18):
mechanism through the toothpaste.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
So, as we're actually swishing our mouth after
brushing, our teeth it doesn'tall go away.
It actually gets absorbedbefore that final process is
completed.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Correct.
Within the first 30 secondsthere's a rapid amount of
absorption and then, since mostpeople brush about a minute to
two minutes, it's basically acurve, so it jumps up and then
slowly is absorbed through therest of the time and then you
spit out.
So what that means is you canabsorb as much as 50% of the
micronutrients within the firsttwo minutes of brushing your
(17:53):
teeth, and then additionally andthis is kind of like the dirty
little secret of the toothpasteworld we also swallow a fair
amount of our toothpaste.
So adults swallow somewherebetween 20, about 10 to 20% of
the toothpaste in their mouth,and kids swallow about 50% of
the toothpaste.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Oh my goodness, Really.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Yes, yeah, and so between adults and kids, not
only are you getting thesublingual and transbuccal
absorption, but you're alsohonestly swallowing some of it
additionally as well.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Well, and that's rather interesting because
obviously a fact that Imentioned in our introduction,
and that is that the averageAmerican in particular, only
brushes their teeth about 48seconds, that's about as much
time as they spend on it, anddentists recommend obviously two
minutes.
So the other positive thing isto brush longer, because your
(18:49):
absorbability is even going tobe greater correct.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Generally, two minutes is a really good
baseline for brushing, but we weknow that that's not, like you
said, not necessarily the casefor most people.
So we want to give the biggestbang for your buck within the
first 30 to 60 seconds andthat's that's.
That's what we've done withinwithin the, within our
toothpaste.
Good to know.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, now, obviously a big motivator a huge motivator
when it comes to peoplechoosing a toothpaste is the
demand for whiter teeth.
Sure, now it appears, I thinkyou have a brand, your Purity
brand addresses whitening.
Explain that to us.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, so, um, uh, like I mentioned before, the
baking soda that we haveinserted into our toothpaste
does actually have a whiteningeffect.
Um, it's, you know, clinicallyshown to, to, to to whiten teeth
.
Uh, so we, we, uh, we're ableto leverage that as the uh
whitening element.
Um, I think it's.
It's important to talk aboutthat.
(19:50):
You don't want abrasives inyour toothpaste that are
actually removing the enamel.
And these hardcore whiteningtoothpastes, yeah, they'll make
your teeth whiter, but they'realso going to remove the enamel
in a way that is quitedetrimental over an extended
period of time.
(20:10):
So we want to do a little bitof that.
We want to be gentle to theteeth, but we don't want your
teeth actually losing thatprotective layer that most other
toothpastes unfortunately,particularly the hardcore kind
of whitening toothpastes, tendto do.
They're not really that goodfor your teeth, even though they
might make them whiter in theshort term.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Well, particularly when you referred earlier to
painting, my God, I pictured inmy mouth the fact that you're
actually painting your teeth,and I'm thinking of painting a
wall or whatever and puttingthat in your mouth.
That's a bit of a shocker.
Let's get away from thetoothpaste for a moment and
let's talk about the instrumentthat we use.
Toothpaste for a moment andlet's talk about the instrument
(20:55):
that we use.
I researched it and apparentlythe first known toothbrush was
invented about 3000 BC by theEgyptians, and they didn't call
it, but we refer to it as a chewstick made from a thin twig.
Now, today there's a widevariety of my God.
You go into Walmart or wherever, you see this huge variety of
toothbrushes, but I'm intriguedabout your bamboo sonic version.
(21:16):
Can you tell us a little bitabout that?
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Yes, I have one right here in front of me.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Our listeners won't be able to see it, but yes, but
that's fine.
We'll maybe see it on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
It's beautiful, it is beautiful, by the way, thank
you.
Um so um, it is beautiful, bythe way, thank you.
Uh, the bamboo sun is reallyinteresting because, uh, the
sonic toothbrushes have beenshown to clean teeth better, so
they do remove plaque and theydo do remove, uh, build up quite
effectively in a powerful waybecause of those sonic pulses
that are that are removing.
(21:46):
But the challenge with them isusually they're all plastic.
The heads that you throw outare all plastic as well, so it's
very wasteful in terms of anenvironmental impact.
And now, as more and morepeople are concerned with
microplastics, particularlywithin their mouth, within their
body, what we realized is thatthere was a major need in the
(22:08):
market for a toothbrush whereyou're not actually putting
plastic in your mouth, and soobviously, the electrical part,
the thing that vibrates, thathas some plastic components in
it, but the actual thing thatyou're putting in your mouth is
100% plant-based, so it's abamboo head.
And then, in addition to that,we use natural castor bean based
(22:31):
brushes, white brushes, on topof the bamboo head, so it's
completely plant based brushhead.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I don't think people recognize the fact that bamboo
is actually related to the plantfamily.
It is yeah.
Yes, I don't think peoplerealize that we just think of
these stocks that come up and ina Polynesian sense, but that's
very interesting.
So, rather than other than justbeing attractive, the truth
brush itself.
The bamboo actually has aoffers, a healthful benefit.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
That's right.
It allows our customers in theworld to really clean their
teeth quite well without havingto basically put a big plastic
stick in their mouth once ortwice a day.
And I think that is more andmore concerned now because, if
you look at all the microplastickind of discussions that have
(23:20):
emerged over the last few years,if we can remove as much as we
can, we can make an impact andwe can improve our health and
well-being.
And in addition to that it'scompletely biodegradable.
So when you throw it out, itwon't take 2,000 years to
biodegrade.
It'll actually take a few yearsand it'll be quite beneficial
(23:41):
in terms of an environmentalimpact as well.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Environmental, exactly, which is another good
reason for it.
Now, obviously, mouth sprays.
We're using mouthwashes or atleast I think we should on a
fairly regular basis.
Many people use mouth sprays tofreshen their breath, of course
, or to relieve dryness.
Now your company offers betterand better.
(24:03):
It offers an oral spray andagain you're putting vitamins
into it.
So I'm curious about thevitamins, how they're actually
absorbed in a mouth spray.
Can you talk about that and thebenefits?
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Yeah.
So what we realized from ourcustomers, based on their
feedback, was that they can'tbrush their teeth all the time.
They can't do it after lunch ifthey're at work, or they can't
do it after dinner if they'reout.
So our customers were askingcan you basically give us the
benefits of the better andbetter toothpaste without
toothpaste?
And what we realized you know,we tested a bunch of different
(24:37):
form factors and what werealized is that the spray is
kind of an ideal way of doingthat.
And so what we've done isincorporated and built a mouth
spray again from scratch, soonly natural, clean and, in many
cases, organic ingredients.
And then On top of that we'veadded the micronutrients.
Vitamin D has a couple ofingredients like xylitol in it
(25:19):
that help with creating a goodmouthfeel and a good mouth
sensation.
And then, in addition to that,the micronutrients.
Again, they're absorbedsublingually, so through your
tongue, through the cheeks,transbuchally, and then the
mouth spray is swallowed at theend.
So it is a double effect.
It's both the mouth effect andyou ingest it afterwards as well
(25:42):
.
You spray it, you kind of keepit in there for about 10 to 20
seconds and then you swallowwhat's in there and it's
perfectly gentle and food-gradequality supplement at that point
.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
And what about bad breath?
Does it address the bad breathissue?
It does what?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
we found is that it helps bad breath.
Again, it's not meant to bekind of hitting you hard, it's
really meant to deliver a betteroral microbiome.
So it reduces bad breath overtime because the good bacteria
overwhelm the bad bacteria andit creates a positive effect in
the mouth.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
And I'm assuming this is something that a woman can
carry in their purse or a mancan slip into his pocket.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
That's right.
I usually carry it in my pocketor, you know, in my backpack,
and it's a great product tocarry along if you're traveling,
especially because of the zincand it has a little vitamin C in
it as well.
So it does have kind of animmunity benefit as well in
terms of you know, on the go.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Well, what about the taste?
Well, after you've eaten adinner, for example, or whatever
you're out to dinner, you wantto freshen your breath, you want
to freshen your mouth.
What sort of taste are weexperiencing?
Speaker 3 (26:50):
It's a mint cucumber taste, so we want it to go minty
, but with a little twist of akind of a healthy plant-based
flavor as well.
So it's a very nice fresh mintcucumber flavor.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
All right, so it's nothing that we're going to.
Oh my God, what have I just putin my mouth?
Speaker 3 (27:07):
No no.
You should have seen thedifferent testing and product
development that we're doing.
Product development that we'redoing we probably went through a
few thousand different tasteformulations to get to the right
one in terms of it had to beboth refreshing but also natural
and clean and positive for yourmouth.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Wonderful.
Now let's turn to a wholedifferent subject.
I mean pet foods.
We're going to get to that fora second.
I mean, they've become a reallybig deal.
We're seeing TV commercialsdepicting comic debates where,
oh my God, my pet's food is inthe refrigerator.
What's it doing in therefrigerator?
But now you've taken it a stepfurther.
(27:47):
Now you have a toothbrush fordogs called Petsy.
Am I right Petsy?
That's right Petsy, that'sright Pet-C.
And in fact I understand thisbrush.
Correct me if I'm wrong, butthe brush actually cleans your
dog's teeth without usingtoothpaste.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
That's right.
That's right.
So a lot of what we've realizedthat a lot of dogs.
Well, first and foremost, oralhealth is really important for
dogs, in some cases more so thaneven humans, in some cases more
so than even humans.
There are studies out therethat show that dogs with healthy
(28:25):
oral care routines can actuallylive a few years longer than
dogs whose teeth are ignored,which means that you could
extend the life of your dog ifyou just take a little bit
better care of their oral care.
And so, with that baseline, wewanted to develop a toothbrush
that was very easy to use,because it's not easy to brush
your dog's teeth, and one of thebiggest difficulties is that if
(28:47):
you put toothpaste in a dog'smouth, they kind of go crazy.
A lot of dogs don't, I imagine,right, they don't like that.
And so what we had to do isfind a technology that allowed
for, with just a little bit ofwater, to actually pull the
plaque and the bacteria awayfrom the teeth.
And so what we found is,through electrolytic technology,
which is what the Pansytoothbrush utilizes, with a
(29:10):
little bit of water you can justquickly brush their teeth and
it'll actually we've seen likeunder the microscope it'll pull
away the bacteria from theirteeth and give them a cleaner,
fresher teeth over an extendedperiod of time.
So this is a very uniquetechnology.
It's never been applied likethis.
It's used widely, but not indog toothbrushes and so far it's
(29:33):
doing really well.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
People really love this toothbrush so, but without
the toothpaste.
How does it get the dog's teethclean?
Speaker 3 (29:40):
With just a little bit of water and that kind of
magnetic effect that I wasspeaking of, it literally draws
out the bacteria and the plaqueaway from the teeth, and so you
just brush it off, you rinse itoff and it's done.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
So you rinse off the brush, but I mean, the dog
really doesn't need to doanything else.
He's absorbed what's necessaryand you've gotten rid of what is
unnecessary.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
That's right and especially if you do it
consistently, you know obviouslyrecommendation is daily, but
most people.
If they brush a few times aweek, they're in much better
shape than if they don't.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
That makes a great deal of sense, absolutely Well,
you know this is I'm looking attime's pretty much up on an
interview, but I God we'vecovered a lot of ground.
But as I conclude, I mean thisis very interesting and I know
that my audience is going towant to look further into it,
read more about it.
I'm assuming that the best wayto learn more about what you
(30:43):
have to offer, how you get it,all of those good things you go
to betterandbettercom Is thatthe place to go.
That's right.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
We publish everything there.
Obviously, you can purchase ourproducts, but in addition, our
scientists are publishing theirstudies there.
We are writing about ourproducts and how we're building
new products all the time, sobetterandbettercom is the best
place to go.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
And of course we want to use the word and A-N-D, so
it's betterandbettercom.
That's right, better and A-N-DBettercom.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Well, we're going to hear a little bit more about it
because obviously, our narratoris going to again remind folks
how they're going to be able toaccess your website, but also I
want to remind our listenersthat we have the information on
our website as well.
So, along with any links, vlad,that you might want to send us,
(31:40):
we are happy to publish those,because many of our listeners do
come to that website from timeto time.
In any case, I want to thankyou for being with us.
You've been an excellent guestand some very unique, shall we
say, information that I thinkpeople were simply not aware of.
You've certainly enlightened meand I want to thank you for
that.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
Thank you for having me.
I hope I can come back as weevolve as a company and we can
delve?
Into even more topics, thenAbsolutely Well.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
There's more to come, as you've already said, in any
case, to my listeners, I'll beright back with a few more
toothful facts and we'll take itfrom there.
But again, vlad, thank you somuch for joining us.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
You can learn more about dental health and the
unique products offered byBetter Better by going to their
website betterandbettercomBetter spell out and A-N-D
bettercom.
But you can also find thisinformation, along with other
great podcasts, by visiting ourwebsite jamespolakoffcom that's
James P-O-L-A-K-O-F dot comAgain jamespolakoffcom.
(32:47):
We also have two great booksyou can sink your teeth into,
which include Live HealthyLonger with Dr Jim, written by
our own Dr Jim Polakoff, butremember to add with Dr Jim in
the title Live Healthy Longerwith Dr Jim.
Plus, you'll also find a seriesof terrific reviews on Amazon.
(33:10):
Visit Amazoncom Also.
For those cosmetic surgery fans, the Real you Only Better is a
great read.
Again, you'll find both bookson Amazon.
Now back to Dr Jim.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I again wish to thank Vladimir Bukievich, but now
let's sink our teeth intotruthful facts.
We should know about dentalcare and I have to ask.
Please pardon my puns, I simplycouldn't resist with the
subject matter.
Having said this, consistentcaring for your teeth is an
important matter that most of usneed to give serious attention.
(33:49):
Let's move on to a few morefacts that will put a smile on
your face.
Recent research has shown thatthe time you spend brushing your
teeth is only 48 seconds.
However, most dentistsrecommend brushing at least two
minutes to achieve a clean mouth.
Recent research has shown thatthe time you spend brushing your
(34:11):
teeth is only 48 seconds.
However, most dentistsrecommend spending at least two
minutes to achieve a clean mouth.
And did you know that airborneparticles that arise from toilet
flushing can actually maketheir way to the bristles on
your toothbrush?
So keep your distance and don'tplace a cap on your toothbrush.
(34:34):
Did you know that the cap onthe toothbrush can actually
cause bacteria to accumulate andfester in a moist environment?
In fact, when you're using amouthwash, it might be a good
practice to rinse the bristlesof the toothbrush with your
mouthwash at least every now andthen.
Enough of these warnings.
(34:54):
Let's put a smile on your face.
Did you know that 50% of peoplesay that a person's smile is
the first physical trait thatthey notice?
In fact, an American Academy ofCosmetic Dentistry study found
that 57% of people say that asmile from a stranger makes them
(35:15):
want to smile and can improvetheir day.
And fellas, this is for you.
The average woman smiles about62 times a day, but most men
only smile 8 times in a day.
So let's get with it, guys.
Nix the bad mood and get happy.
You actually use less musclesto smile and more muscles to
(35:37):
frown.
But there's even more todiscover in terms of toothful
facts.
I strongly recommend you readmy latest blog, dr Jim's Best
Foods for Healthy Teeth that canput a smile on your face.
Simply go to our website,jamespolikoffcom, and click on
blogs.
You'll be surprised at what youdiscover.
(35:59):
This is Dr Jim Polikoff, withmy sincere thanks to you for
joining me once again, andremember a new episode of Live
Healthy Longer is available eachand every Wednesday.
In the meantime, my wishes toyou for a healthy, happy, long
life.
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