Dr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDS
Founder
She oversees the nationwide network of licensed dentists who review oral microbiome results and consult with you on them.
FocusFunctional dentistry and oral microbiome science
Low energy, poor sleep, digestive discomfort and inflammation can have connected drivers — and the mouth and gut are part of the same conversation.
- What you doChoose testing, guided support, or a self-directed plan built around where you are now.
- What you get backA clearer picture of what may be shaping how you feel, so you can choose your next step with more confidence.
- Protective. These keep the balance and you want them there.
- Harmful. These are the ones the test is looking for.
You swallow about a litre of saliva a day, so whatever is living up here goes downstream on a schedule. That is what the rest of this page follows.
Fig. 01what is living in your mouth right now, and which way it travels.
Everything living in there, taken together, is one community. It has a name.
Clinicians call the living ecosystem in your mouth the oral microbiome. Our oral test is called Orobiome.
- Oral microbiomeWhat clinicians call it
- The whole community of bacteria living in your mouth, counted as one thing rather than as a list of germs.
- OrobiomeWhat we call our oral test
- The saliva test that reads that community and names which species you are carrying, and in what proportion.
- The oral-gut axisWhat the rest of this page is about
- Your mouth and your gut are two ends of one tube, trading bacteria every time you swallow.
Those three phrases are the only specialist language on this page. You will see them again further down; you did not need any of them to understand the first plate, and that is on purpose.
Fig. 02the swallow — the only reason anything in plate 01 matters further down.
Whether you actually get anything out of your food
You eat well and still feel bloated, heavy or wiped out an hour later. Digestion is not only what you put in; it is what the bacteria do with it before you ever get the benefit.
Our ability to digest and assimilate food is tied to our microbiome and gut ecology.
What it looks like from the inside
- Bloating or gas after most meals, not just the rich ones.
- Foods that used to be fine and suddenly are not.
- Heartburn you have started planning your evenings around.
- Supplements that never seem to move a blood test.
TermDysbiosisThe wrong bacteria outnumbering the right ones.
Fig. 03where food stops being food and starts being you.
Most of your immune system lives down here
If you catch everything going round, flare up for no reason you can trace, or have been told your immune system is attacking you, most of that argument is happening in a tube you never see.
The majority of our immune system lines our gut. A leaky gut creates chaos and autoimmunity.
What it looks like from the inside
- Inflammation that moves — joints one month, skin the next.
- An autoimmune diagnosis with no account of where it came from.
- Getting ill noticeably more often than the people around you.
- Gums that bleed when you floss, which is inflammation you can see.
TermIntestinal permeabilityYour gut wall letting through things it should be holding back.
Fig. 04where the immune system actually lives.
Brain fog is a downstream symptom
Losing the word you wanted. Reading the same paragraph three times. A flat mood you cannot account for. It gets treated as a head problem, and it often starts a long way from your head.
The downstream effects lead to mental health issues and brain fog.
What it looks like from the inside
- Fog that lifts and returns on no schedule you can name.
- Low mood that does not match what is actually happening in your life.
- Eight hours in bed that leave you unrested.
- Fatigue that survives every reasonable amount of rest.
TermThe gut-brain axisThe constant two-way signalling between your gut and your head.
Fig. 05the far end of the tube, and the one with a line to your head.
Start where you are. Go where you need to.
Whether you want data, more personalized guidance, or a practical plan you can follow on your own, Gateway gives you a way forward.
- Four kits, from $399Get the data behind how you feel.Shop oral, gut, sleep, or paired test kits designed to make hidden patterns more visible.Shop test kits
- Clinician-ledGet support turning insight into change.For those who want personalized interpretation, clinician-led guidance, and a more supported plan.Explore guided support
- 6 weeks · $499Take a practical reset at your own pace.Upstream is a six-week self-guided system for the mouth, gut lining, microbiome, toxic load, and nervous-system patterns.Explore Upstream
Not sure where to start?Start with the story your body is telling. A short guide — about 90 seconds — points you to the path that fits.
Find your starting pointPlate 06three ways in — data, a guided plan, or a six-week system on your own.
A result is only as good as the person who reads it to you
The test is a machine measurement. Everything after it is a conversation — with a licensed dentist, an oral health expert, or one of 12 certified health coaches.Meet the whole team.
Dr. Pedram ShojaiOMD
Founder
He is why this does not stop at your teeth. He directs the gut-health programs, Upstream included.
FocusIntegrative medicine and gut-health programs
Lora HooperBSDH, RDH, EFDA
Oral Health Expert
Salivary diagnostics, precision prevention, and integrative oral-systemic care.
FocusSalivary diagnostics, precision prevention, and integrative oral-systemic care.
Anne RiceCDP
Oral Health Expert · Bale/Doneen Method Preceptor
Oral-systemic health, brain health, dementia prevention, and practical risk awareness.
FocusOral-systemic health, brain health, dementia prevention, and practical risk awareness.
Michelle MahlkeRDH
Oral Health Expert
Oral-systemic connection, salivary diagnostics, and patient empowerment.
FocusOral-systemic connection, salivary diagnostics, and patient empowerment.
Plate 07two founders, three oral health experts and 12 health coaches.
Questions people bring us, answered at length
Every piece is titled twice: once the way you would ask it, and once the way it gets filed. You only ever need the first one.
Why am I tired after eight hours of sleep?
Filed asMouth Breathing Problems: Is Your Airway Making You Sick?
So many patients with recurring gum inflammation, dry mouth, bad breath and cavity after cavity had one thing in common: they were mouth breathers. And nobody had ever connected that dot for them.
Airway-centered dentistryDentistry that asks whether you can breathe, not just chew.
Why do my tests keep coming back normal when I feel awful?
Filed asThe Gut Microbiome Imbalance Test Your Doctor Skips
You listed your symptoms, the bloating, the fatigue, the brain fog, and walked out with a clean bill of health. "Labs look normal," they said. But you don't feel normal.
DysbiosisThe wrong bacteria outnumbering the right ones.
Why isn't my gut getting better no matter what I try?
Filed asMouth Gut Microbiome Axis: Why Your Gut Won't Heal
They've overhauled their diet, taken a rotation of probiotics, cut out gluten, and gone low-FODMAP. And yet, their digestion is still a mess.
The oral-gut axisYour mouth and gut are one tube, trading bacteria all day.
Everything else in the library
Where did my sex drive go, and is it coming back?
Filed asHormone Imbalance and Sex Drive: What's Stealing It
Could the bacteria in my mouth be hurting my heart?
Filed asHow Oral Bacteria and Cardiovascular Disease Connect
I cut out sugar, so why do I still get cavities?
Filed asThe Real Diet for Healthy Teeth (It's Not What You Think)
Could my anxiety actually be starting in my gut?
Filed asIs Gut Bacteria and Anxiety Secretly Linked?
Why do my gums still bleed after all those cleanings?
Filed asGum Disease Treatment That Heals, Not Just Masks
My labs came back normal, so why do I feel terrible?
Filed asWhat Functional Gut Health Testing Really Reveals
What can a saliva test at home tell me about my health?
Filed asMouth Bacteria Test at Home: What Your Saliva Really Reveals
Why is my body attacking itself?
Filed asAutoimmune Disease and Gut Health: The Root Cause Link
Plate 0861 pieces, each one filed under the question somebody actually asked.
Eight episodes, if you would rather be told than read
The same argument as this page, at length, with the clinicians on camera. The full series comes with Orobiome testing. Interconnected and GutCheck pick up the gut side of the story.All three series.
- Episodes
- 8
- Total runtime
- 5h 34m
- Free to watch
- 3
- EP 01
Mouth Matters
44 minFreeYou will understand why the state of your mouth is a health issue and not a grooming issue.
What you find out5
- The #1 cause of a cavity, and it is NOT sugar.
- Bleeding gums: these cavity critters can work their way into your heart valves, your gut and your blood flow.
- How chronic disease begins in the mouth, and what we can do to repair, restore and rejuvenate the oral biome.
- The surprising link between what we eat and the crowding of our teeth.
- Why our diets no longer support healthy bacteria in the mouth.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD
- EP 02
Know Thy Mouth
41 minFreeYou will know how to keep the good bacteria in your mouth alive instead of killing everything and hoping.
What you find out5
- How to maintain a healthy oral biome, and the answer is NOT to nuke your mouth with antibiotics.
- The #1 thing you must do to maintain a healthy pH in your mouth, and why brushing, flossing and the hygienist alone will not cut it.
- Why the next frontier of medicine can be found in plaque.
- Why being long in the tooth is a warning sign of underlying disease.
- How to crowd out the bad bugs and restore the balance.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA
- EP 03
Oral Climate Change
39 minFreeYou will see your mouth as an environment that can tip one way or the other, and learn what tips it.
What you find out5
- The harmful bacteria that stick to teeth, secrete acid and break down enamel.
- The link between gum disease and Type 2 diabetes.
- Where 70% of your saliva really comes from.
- How the shape of your jaw can cause deadly sleep problems.
- The link between stress and tooth decay.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD · Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA
- EP 04
Beyond the Mouth
47 minWith OrobiomeYou will understand how bacteria from your mouth reach your gut, your bloodstream, your brain and a pregnancy.
What you find out5
- If the body's largest source of chronic inflammation is not diet or lack of exercise, what is it?
- Why taking care of your gums is vital for a healthy pregnancy.
- The great chasm between dentistry and medicine 150 years ago.
- Why the gut begins in the mouth.
- How bad bacteria cross the bloodstream and enter the brain.
WithDr. Pedram Shojai, OMD · Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS
- EP 05
Oral Controversy and Conflict
52 minWith OrobiomeYou will get straight answers about fillings, root canals and implants, including where the experts still disagree.
What you find out5
- The truth about fillings.
- What to do if you suspect an infection in an old root canal.
- The link between jaw injections and heart disease.
- The simple test to take before any dental procedure.
- Everything you need to know about implants.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD
- EP 06
Restorative Dentistry
43 minWith OrobiomeYou will learn what modern repair looks like when the goal is to protect the biome rather than just patch the tooth.
What you find out5
- The newest science in restorative dentistry.
- When brushing your teeth can be bad for your health.
- New technologies that mean we never have to suffer tooth-pulling again.
- The tool that can optimise a patient's healing process.
- How to stop bad bacteria sneaking between gum and bone into the bloodstream.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA
- EP 07
Pain, Fear and the Future
40 minWith OrobiomeIf the dentist frightens you, this episode shows you what has changed and why the fear is becoming outdated.
What you find out5
- Breakthroughs for people whom the dentist fills with anxiety.
- The new science changing modern dentistry.
- How non-penetrative lasers will replace the teeth-yanking of old.
- The future of teeth care from the top minds in oral health.
- This will change the way you eat, brush, floss and chew gum.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD · Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA
- EP 08
Bonus: A Lifetime of Your Mouth
28 minWith OrobiomeYou will know how to care for a mouth that is getting older, and why it is never too late to start.
What you find out2
- The golden age of dentistry.
- The best ways to care for an ageing mouth.
WithDr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS · Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD
Plate 09Gateway to Health — the documentary the practice built its case on.
The test kits, and what each one costs
Pick a kit and the list underneath shows exactly what is in it. Click any line you want and you move to the cheapest kit that has it — and if that switch leaves something out, it says so.
A saliva test that maps the bacteria living in your mouth, read by a licensed dentist and walked through with you by an oral microbiome specialist.
Right for you if You are curious whether the mouth and oral microbiome may be part of your larger health story.
$399
$1,144 Save $745
- Orobiome oral microbiome test A simple saliva swab at home. Sequenced by a CLIA-certified lab; results in 10–14 business days.
- Licensed dentist results review A licensed dentist evaluates your bacterial profile and flags the clinically significant findings.
- 1-on-1 oral microbiome specialist consultation A specialist walks you through your results and the dentist's findings, in plain language.
- Results session with a certified health coach Turns the recommendations into a concrete plan: diet, oral care, supplement priorities, in an order you can follow.
- Gateway to Health series + Director's Cut The eight-part docuseries on the oral-gut-systemic connection.
- Five bonus guides Tooth & tonic, natural whitening, the Gateway companion guide, the colored foods chart, natural mouthwash recipes.
Order this kit — $399
Switching to Look at your gut leaves out orobiome oral microbiome test, licensed dentist results review, 1-on-1 oral microbiome specialist consultation, gateway to health series + director's cut, five bonus guides.
The mouth is the top of the tract. To see the gut at the same time, the complete package runs all three tests in parallel.
Plate 10four kits — mouth, gut, sleep, or both ends at once.
What people said afterwards
Not "I feel amazing". Specific symptoms, named, that stopped.
My brain fog is gone and I am feeling energy again.
Tina A.My canker sores are no longer bothering me and my gums are not bleeding anymore.
Brian V.My gas and bloating are all but gone and my sleep is greatly improved.
Vivian K.
Find your starting pointGateway brings oral and gut insight together, then gives you a practical path: testing, guided support, or a structured self-directed system.
Plate 11three people, on what changed. Their words, not ours.