Learn What Lives in Your Mouth
Explore the Power 15 bacteria catalog and discover which organisms are beneficial, which are pathogenic, and how they colonize your oral cavity.
Understand How It Affects Your Body
See the Mouth→Body Translation Engine in action: learn how oral bacteria connect to fertility, pregnancy, heart health, brain function, and cancer risk.
Know What to Do Next
Get personalized action protocols, retest timelines, and clear guidance on when to see your dentist or specialist.
At-Home Testing Guide
Six steps from question to next step
A saliva test is a journey, not a shortcut. From asking a focused question to reviewing a laboratory report, each step affects what a saliva finding can mean. Use this guide to prepare carefully, protect sample quality, and keep results in their clinical context.
This is an educational overview. It does not replace the instructions supplied with your kit or routine dental, obstetric, and fertility care.
Clarify the question and choose the right panel
Order the kit or panel that matches your specific question. Confirm what it measures and which assay it uses, and whether the result is for clinical care or education. qPCR, sequencing, immunoassays, and point-of-care tests are not interchangeable, and a microbial DNA panel cannot be assumed to measure hormones, diagnose infertility, or predict pregnancy.
Prepare for collection with the kit-specific rules
Timing, fasting, brushing, mouthwash, medication, cycle timing, and fill volume vary by analyte and lab. If a systemic antibiotic was taken recently, ask the clinician or lab whether to wait, because oral pathogen qPCR can read artificially low during antibiotic washout.
Collect the required sample modality
Use only the method described in the kit, whether passive drool, a cheek or gingival swab, or an oral rinse. Do not substitute one for another. For passive drool: sit still, avoid talking and chewing, let saliva pool, and fill to the line without forceful spitting.
Seal and ship inside the validated window
Close and label the sample exactly as instructed, use the supplied packaging, and ship promptly with the designated carrier. Preservative-buffered samples often ship ambient for 48 to 72 hours, but follow the kit. Do not refrigerate or freeze unless instructed.
Let the laboratory run its stated assay
The report should identify the method, units or categories, reference range, and sample-quality limits. A result outside a range does not automatically identify a cause, set a treatment threshold, or predict fertility or pregnancy outcomes.
Review the report and choose the next step
Review the analyte, assay, reference range, sample-quality notes, timing, and medications with a qualified clinician. Continue routine fertility, obstetric, and dental care. A saliva result is one piece of information, not a standalone treatment plan.
Before You Collect
- Confirm the sample modality your kit requires
- Confirm the timing, fasting, fill line, and shipping window
- Review recent antibiotics and medications with your clinician or lab
- Have the label, tube, and packaging ready before you start
- Collect before food, drink, and brushing unless instructed otherwise
- Avoid antiseptic mouthwash for the kit-specified interval, often six hours
What results can and cannot tell you
They can
Describe the sample you collected and what was measured in it.
They cannot
Diagnose infertility.
Predict a pregnancy outcome.
Replace care from a dental, obstetric, or fertility professional.
Where to go next
Important to Know
DoctorSaliva is educational and clinician-led, not a diagnosis. All content is designed to help you understand oral-systemic connections and make informed decisions with your healthcare providers. Always consult qualified dental and medical professionals for diagnosis, treatment, and personalized care.