Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Camille Zenobia. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Camille, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

My background is as a PhD in Microbiology. My interest is in how and why some people, exposed to the very same pathogen, can get really sick while others seem protected. My journey into health & wellness landed me in the oral cavity where we are learning real time how our immune system is learning from foods we eat, microbes that live in us, and environmental impacts.

During COVID there was a LOT of evidence coming out to show that comorbidities like CVD and diabetes were impacting our health outcomes. Oral health was one of those comorbidities. Patients with periodontal disease had worse outcomes than patients with healthy mouths. And since then, vaccine research has implicated a healthy oral microbiome is associated with a better vaccine response. All this evidence is pointing to the oral cavity as a place where our immune status can impact our health outcomes.

What does all this mean? it means that our mouths have the potential to dictate when and who gets sick and who is protected. When we have inflammation in our mouths, our microbiome becomes altered, and our immune landscape changes. All these components work together to either protect us, or not. How do we harness this information to improve our health?

We harness what we know about health to see if we can correct inflammation and dysbiotic microbiome. One of the ways we can do this is with oral hygiene and related products.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My business https://ossacare.com/
Your Mouth is the gateway to Health & Wellness. I want to bring forward true wellness innovations to oral care and address key issues in oral-systemic health: namely, inflammation! We have formulated a beautiful, natural, fluoride-free oral care system (toothpaste & mouth serum) that can powerfully reduce inflammation and keep your mouth youthful.

My brand https://www.instagram.com/oralhealthactivist/
Changing minds with Science
I am so grateful to Disrupting Dentistry Podcast & Anne Rice at RDH magazine for highlighting me to their community. These connections have allowed me to unite with a broader community that is focused on Oral Medicine bridging to Systemic Health. I have lectured for Integrative Dental Medicine Society, AAOSH, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists on subjects like salivary testing, oral-systemic health, next generation oral care. Go check out my talk with IDM Society

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I felt compelled to post about my obsessive oral health thoughts and things I that I found fun, engaging, controversial which inspired the @oralhealthactivist page. I did not know when I started that it would lead me to start a business and develop an educational podcast- but both directions were inspired by that page.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My first career was as a hairdresser but I knew I wanted more. After getting involved as an educator for Aveda, I was introduced to the product science elements and was hooked on science. It was then that I started my journey to PhD.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ossacare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oralhealthactivist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oralhealthcareactivist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillezenobia/

Image Credits

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