Russell Moon wants us to raise our oral care game in a big way. And to do that, this guy (who happens to be the co-creator of SkinCeuticals, so we’re talking really smart) has whipped up a whole new crop of products that are gonna change our lives.
I may have gone to a few beauty and wellness press events in my day. Please, make that a few million. For basically my entire adult life I’ve been on a crazy hamster wheel of presentations for this amazing new this and that amazing new that.
That’s why I get so excited when I plop down at one of these shindigs and hear about something truly new and revolutionary. A game-changer. A new way to look, feel or perform better. And if I can learn all about said game-changer from a handsome Texan papa of four, I’m extra happy.
Enter Russell Moon and PerioSciences.
Having co-created one of – if not the – most well-regarded “cosmeceutical” skincare brands in the market, Russell was at the forefront of antioxidant technology in beauty. That was his first big contribution to making us hotter – teaching us that we should not only ingest our antioxidants, but slather them on topically as well.
Russell’s new business baby is equally compelling. A range of oral care products under the PerioSciences umbrella, it deploys a similar idea – the topical application of antioxidants – to a different end: A radically healthier mouth.
I’ve touched on the link between oral and systemic health here, but every day more research surfaces connecting those dots. And happily, Russell summarizes a lot of the current thinking in our Q & A below. (SUPER IMPORTANT: Fertility is negatively impacted by gum disease.)
At the press event, I was very charmed by Russell’s tale about having to get braces for the second time, as an adult, and basically the hell he went through to get his smile back in shape. But that hell had a silver lining. Because of over-the-top sensitivity he experienced, he began rubbing an antioxidant solution on his gums. And not only was the pain alleviated, the gums themselves improved – greatly.
But let’s let Russell tell us all about that, as well as the importance of excellent oral care.
DANA: You were way ahead of the curve on the antioxidant thing. How did your pre-SkinCeuticals interest in antioxidants come about?
RUSSELL: At an early age, I realized eating healthy and taking care of your body is paramount. While I knew eating fruits and vegetables is obviously important to health, I was always inquisitive about the specifics in those food groups and what were the drivers of good health. The answer – antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. Given my natural interest in health, when a good friend from college – Alden Pinnell – presented an opportunity to develop a company around his father’s (Dr. Sheldon Pinnell) topical antioxidant technology, I jumped at the chance.
DANA: I’m fascinated by your personal journey with smile-improvement. I also had braces as a teenager and may need them again. I’ve blogged about that, and I’m not looking forward to it.
When did you first decide to get Invisalign? What was that experience like for you? You mentioned you needed jaw surgery. I’m guessing that was before the Invisalign?
RUSSELL: I had braces as a teen, and once they were off I needed to wear a retainer for at least a year. I distinctly remember the excruciating pain I felt when I tried wearing my retainer. Of course the technology in the early 80s was not near what it is today. Because of the pain from the retainer I think I lasted about one month with it and then conveniently lost it. That was a mistake. As I grew my overbite returned so much that I noticed that I didn’t smile in pictures.
With great angst I decided to go through the process again in my mid- 30s. Only this time it was worse. I needed jaw surgery – specifically, my left side needed to be adjusted to match my right side so my bite would be uniform. After jaw surgery I was in traditional braces (full brackets and wires) for 18 months.
Upon removal of the braces and wearing my retainer this time around, my orthodontist noticed my back left molar shifting. I was labeled one of the “interesting cases” as this molar movement apparently only happens in 1 out of 1000 cases. Lucky me. At that point I was put into Invisalign for another 18 months and still wear my last tray at night till this day.
As you can imagine I have literally years of oral care issues and this drove me to try to find a solution for the soft tissue irritation I experienced on a daily basis.
DANA: Did your smile reno prompt the research behind PerioSciences? Or had you already been thinking about it?
RUSSELL: I started the “smile redo” process two years before we sold SkinCeuticals to L’Oreal. So it was the smile redo process that prompted me to start asking questions about the oral cavity.
DANA: Do you think most people realize how integral oral care is to overall | systemic health? What will it take to make us more aware of that?
RUSSELL: The mouth-body connection known as the Oral – Systemic Link is based on emerging research that started a few years ago. This is very new science. In fact, many of the studies correlating low salivary antioxidants to oral disease are from 2010 and 2011. Below are some examples of the research – notice the publication dates.
As with anything, public opinion takes a while to mature. But I suspect more people than you think aware of the connection. As an example, most dog owners who take their pets to the vet on a regular basis will tell you they have learned how important oral health is to their dog. It’s funny, but many people will take care of pets and others before themselves.
RESEARCH
1. Therapeutics, Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology, June 2011
The Antioxidant Potential of Saliva: Clinical Significance in Oral Diseases, Miricescu, et al.
Important Point: Salivary TAC (total antioxidant capacity) activities were significantly lower in periodontitis, OLP and smoker patients compared with controls, this representing a significant oxidative process that occurs in the oral cavity.
2. Journal of Sexual Medicine, June 2011
Erectile Dysfunction By Zuo et. al.
Important Point: The function of penile erection is impaired by periodontitis. Mild systemic inflammatory status in periodontitis may be one of the important risk factors of ED.
3. European Society of Human Study of Reproduction and Embryology Annual Meeting 2011
Fertility poster presentation on 3,416 women
Important Point: Women with gum disease took over 7 months on average to become pregnant compared to women without gum disease took only 5 months. For non-caucasian women with gum disease, the period increased to a year. The suspected culprit is inflammation.
4. Journal of Periodontal Research, December 2010
Obesity by Chaffee and Weston
Important Point: A positive association was demonstrated between periodontal disease and obesity across multiple studies from around the world.
5. Journal of Clinical Periodontology, January 2010
Diabetes by Correa et. al.
Important Point: Periodontal therapy (oral inflammation reduction) reduces systemic inflammatory cytokines directly related to insulin resistance in diabetics.
6. Behavior Genetics, June 2010
Alzheimer’s by Gatz et. al.
Important Point: Periodontal disease in early years quadruples the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in later years.
7. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, April – June 2009
Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients, Gupta, et al.
Important Point: In cancer patients salivary oxidative stress levels are increased and salivary antioxidant levels are decreased.
DANA: After all that science, let’s switch to a personal question: How many children do you have? And are you “the enforcer” around the house regarding good oral care?
RUSSELL: I’ve been married for 14 years and we have four children: Girl, Boy, Boy, Girl. My wife and I trade off on enforcement – with four kids there is plenty of enforcing to be done.
DANA: I’m always perplexed when people bitch about flossing. It takes all of a minute – if that – and is so good for you. Jogging on the treadmill and bypassing the donuts in favor of broccoli is soooo much harder!
RUSSELL: I can only speak for myself. And if we’re being honest, I don’t floss as much as I should. I have sensitive gums and when I floss it’s not a comfortable experience. However, I must say that since using topical antioxidants in my oral care regime my sensitivity has greatly diminished.
DANA: Given that the PerioSciences lineup will entail a bit of lifestyle shift – this is a new “add-on” to our daily health regimens – do you recommend giving ourselves a month or so to build the habit of using it?
RUSSELL: The shift in habit is easy, not painful. It’s quick and the product tastes good. In a 2010 study with 100 patients who were asked to use the product for six weeks, upon completion of the final patient-survey, we learned that 78% used their fingertip to apply the gel and 85% reported the use of the gel as “easy”. We never expected such high marks on patient compliance and use.
Having said that, we’re working as fast as we can to develop more traditional daily-use products with our topical antioxidant technology. But what we’ve seen in the clinical setting is that the gel applied directly to soft tissue is the best performing vehicle and product for antioxidants in oral care.
DANA: I wish you the best of luck. It’s an amazing concept.