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Gateway to Health · Vol. I, No. 1

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Gateway

A clinical publication about the mouth, the gut, and what travels between them — written by the dentists, doctors and coaches who read the results.

Vol. I, No. 1September 13, 2026Austin, TexasPublished continuously

From the editors

Low energy, poor sleep, digestive discomfort and inflammation can have connected drivers — and the mouth and gut are part of the same conversation.

You may be dealing with fatigue, restless sleep, digestive symptoms, brain fog, or inflammation, and still not have a clear explanation. Each one tends to get looked at on its own. Gateway looks upstream — at the mouth and the gut together — for the patterns that single-system approaches can miss.

This journal exists to explain what that means in language you do not need a clinician standing next to you to parse — and then to give you a practical way to begin.

What you do
Choose testing, guided support, or a self-directed plan built around where you are now.
What you get back
A clearer picture of what may be shaping how you feel, so you can choose your next step with more confidence.

Find your starting pointOr see the three ways to begin

A note on terminology

Clinicians call the living ecosystem in your mouth the oral microbiome. Our oral test is called Orobiome.

Both words name the thing you have already been told about. Nothing on this page requires you to keep either one.

A dense field of rounded microorganisms among fine filaments, drawn in ink hatching.

Why start here

When your body feels off, the answer may not be where you expect.

You may be dealing with fatigue, restless sleep, digestive symptoms, brain fog, or inflammation, and still not have a clear explanation. Gateway looks upstream at the oral microbiome, gut lining, and gut microbiome to reveal patterns that single-system approaches can miss.

Three notes

  1. Your mouth is more than the beginning of digestion.

    The oral microbiome is a living ecosystem. When it is out of balance, it may affect more than your teeth and gums. It can become part of your larger health story.

  2. Your gut needs more than another supplement.

    The gut lining and microbiome help shape digestion, immune activity, energy, and resilience. Understanding the context can help you make more informed choices.

  3. Stop guessing at what your body needs.

    Gateway brings oral and gut insight together, then gives you a practical path: testing, guided support, or a structured self-directed system.

Choose your starting point

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.

Three paths

  1. 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
  2. Clinician-ledGet support turning insight into change.For those who want personalized interpretation, clinician-led guidance, and a more supported plan.Explore guided support
  3. 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 point

Masthead

Who reads your results

Two founders and the oral health experts behind every result — and every article carries the byline of the person who is accountable for it.

5 named

  1. Dr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDS

    Founder

    Functional dentistry and oral microbiome science

  2. Dr. Pedram ShojaiOMD

    Founder

    Integrative medicine and gut-health programs

  3. Lora HooperBSDH, RDH, EFDA

    Oral Health Expert

    Salivary diagnostics, precision prevention, and integrative oral-systemic care.

  4. Anne RiceCDP

    Oral Health Expert · Bale/Doneen Method Preceptor

    Oral-systemic health, brain health, dementia prevention, and practical risk awareness.

  5. Michelle MahlkeRDH

    Oral Health Expert

    Oral-systemic connection, salivary diagnostics, and patient empowerment.

The full team, including twelve health coaches

DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery
OMD
Doctor of Oriental Medicine
BSDH, RDH, EFDA
Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene; Registered Dental Hygienist; Expanded Functions Dental Assistant
CDP
Certified Dementia Practitioner
RDH
Registered Dental Hygienist

The library

What has been published here

Every piece starts from the question a person actually asks, and only then gives the clinical name for it. The name in the smaller type is what the article is filed under.

61 entries · December 2025 – September 2026

Mouth

15 min

Why am I tired after eight hours of sleep?

Mouth 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.

Dr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDSAug 2026

Gut

17 min

Why do my tests keep coming back normal when I feel awful?

The 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.

Dr. Pedram ShojaiOMDJun 2026

Gut / Mouth

14 min

Why isn't my gut getting better no matter what I try?

Mouth 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.

Dr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDSApr 2026

The rest of the index

9 of 58

  1. Where did my sex drive go, and is it coming back?Hormone Imbalance and Sex Drive: What's Stealing ItDr. Pedram ShojaiOMDSep 2026Gut / Hormones12 min
  2. Could the bacteria in my mouth be hurting my heart?How Oral Bacteria and Cardiovascular Disease ConnectDr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDSSep 2026Mouth10 min
  3. I cut out sugar, so why do I still get cavities?The Real Diet for Healthy Teeth (It's Not What You Think)Dr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDSAug 2026Mouth13 min
  4. Could my anxiety actually be starting in my gut?Is Gut Bacteria and Anxiety Secretly Linked?Dr. Pedram ShojaiOMDAug 2026Brain / Gut17 min
  5. Why do my gums still bleed after all those cleanings?Gum Disease Treatment That Heals, Not Just MasksDr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDSAug 2026Mouth11 min
  6. My labs came back normal, so why do I feel terrible?What Functional Gut Health Testing Really RevealsDr. Pedram ShojaiOMDAug 2026Gut16 min
  7. What can a saliva test at home tell me about my health?Mouth Bacteria Test at Home: What Your Saliva Really RevealsDr. Elmira Gederi ShojaiDDSJul 2026Mouth15 min
  8. Why is my body attacking itself?Autoimmune Disease and Gut Health: The Root Cause LinkDr. Pedram ShojaiOMDJun 2026Gut15 min
  9. Why am I still exhausted when my thyroid numbers look fine?Your Thyroid Health and Gut Connection ExplainedDr. Pedram ShojaiOMDMay 2026Gut / Hormones15 min

Browse all 61 in the full library

The series

Gateway to Health

A documentary in parts, filmed with the clinicians named on the masthead. Listed the way a course is listed: what each part is for, who is in it, and how long it takes.

8 parts · 5 hr 34 min

  1. Mouth Matters

    You will understand why the state of your mouth is a health issue and not a grooming issue.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD

    44 minFree to watch

    • 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.

  2. Know Thy Mouth

    You will know how to keep the good bacteria in your mouth alive instead of killing everything and hoping.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA

    41 minFree to watch

    • 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.

  3. Oral Climate Change

    You will see your mouth as an environment that can tip one way or the other, and learn what tips it.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD and Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA

    39 minFree to watch

    • 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.

  4. Beyond the Mouth

    You will understand how bacteria from your mouth reach your gut, your bloodstream, your brain and a pregnancy.

    With Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD and Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS

    47 minIncluded with Orobiome testing

    • 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.

  5. Oral Controversy and Conflict

    You will get straight answers about fillings, root canals and implants, including where the experts still disagree.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD

    52 minIncluded with Orobiome testing

    • 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.

  6. Restorative Dentistry

    You will learn what modern repair looks like when the goal is to protect the biome rather than just patch the tooth.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA

    43 minIncluded with Orobiome testing

    • 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.

  7. Pain, Fear and the Future

    If the dentist frightens you, this episode shows you what has changed and why the fear is becoming outdated.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD and Lora Hooper, BSDH, RDH, EFDA

    40 minIncluded with Orobiome testing

    • 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.

  8. Bonus: A Lifetime of Your Mouth

    You will know how to care for a mouth that is getting older, and why it is never too late to start.

    With Dr. Elmira Gederi Shojai, DDS and Dr. Pedram Shojai, OMD

    28 minIncluded with Orobiome testing

    • The golden age of dentistry.
    • The best ways to care for an ageing mouth.

Also from the same team: Interconnected, a ten-part gut health docuseries, and GutCheck. All three series

A small sealed laboratory collection vial standing upright, drawn in ink hatching.

The instruments

The test kits this research is built on

Oral, gut, sleep, or paired test kits designed to make hidden patterns more visible. Each one is collected at home and read with you by a person.

From $399

Four kits, one for each place you might want to start. Click any line you want and you will be moved to the cheapest kit that has it — and told plainly if switching leaves something out.

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.
Get 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.

Correspondence

What readers wrote back

Unedited, and deliberately unremarkable. People do not write in about their microbiome. They write in about sleeping through the night.

3 letters

  1. My brain fog is gone and I am feeling energy again.
    — Tina A.
  2. My canker sores are no longer bothering me and my gums are not bleeding anymore.
    — Brian V.
  3. My gas and bloating are all but gone and my sleep is greatly improved.
    — Vivian K.