The nitric oxide pathway
Measure the pathway.Support the pathway.
Your body makes nitric oxide from the nitrate in leafy greens and beets, but the first step happens in your mouth. Bacteria on your tongue convert nitrate to nitrite before the rest of your body can finish the job. One OraPath product measures that step. Another supplies it with nitrate.
Two separate products. You don't need the test to use Boost, and Boost isn't a treatment for any test result.
The nitric oxide pathway starts in your mouth.
Most people never learn this part. Before your body can turn dietary nitrate into nitric oxide, specific bacteria in your mouth have to convert it to nitrite. Without the right bacteria, the pathway stalls at step three.
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Dietary nitrate
Leafy greens, beets and similar foods are eaten.
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Concentrated in saliva
Nitrate is absorbed and concentrated back into saliva, where it meets your tongue bacteria.
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Oral conversion
Your bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite. This step depends on which organisms you have, and it's the one the test measures.
The step the test measures -
Becomes nitric oxide
Nitrite is swallowed and converted further into nitric oxide.
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Blood flow
Nitric oxide is associated in research with healthy blood flow.
The systemic links here are associations reported in research, not conclusions about any individual. The Oral Balance Test measures your oral microbiome; it does not diagnose gum disease, cavities, or any medical condition. Diet is still the main source of nitrate.
Two tools, one pathway
One checks the step. One feeds it.
Most nitric oxide products assume the oral step is working, and few people have ever checked. The test looks at the step itself. Boost supplies the nitrate that step runs on.
These are separate products, sold separately. Use either one on its own. Boost isn't a treatment for a test result, and the test isn't a way to check whether Boost is working for you.
Measure the pathway
See whether your mouth can do the conversion.
We target narG, the gene that performs the nitrate conversion, so the result reflects what your bacteria can actually do, not just which species are present.
At-home saliva test · CLIA-certified lab
The Oral Balance Test
- Your nitric oxide capacity, read from the narG gene
- Inflammatory load and protective reserve, across 16 organisms
- Collected at home in about two minutes, no swab or blood
- Results in your private OraPath account in about a week
The test isn't available yet in AK, CA, CT, HI, MD, MA, NJ, NY, RI. Get notified when it reaches your state.
Support the pathway
Give the step nitrate to work with.
Boost dissolves slowly, so the nitrate stays in contact with your tongue bacteria longer than a swallowed capsule would. It's an easy addition to a plate of greens, not a replacement for one.
Prebiotic nitrate mints · Cool Mint · 30 mints
Boost Nitric Oxide Mints
- Increases good, nitric oxide–producing oral bacteria
- Fresh breath, wherever you are
- Good for your teeth and gums, and supports a balanced oral pH
- Sugar-free, vegan, gluten-free, no sodium nitrite
The state restrictions apply to the test only. Boost isn't covered by them.
Common questions
Do I need the test to use Boost?
No. Boost is a daily dietary supplement, and you can use it without testing. The test is for people who want to know whether the oral step of the pathway is working in their own mouth.
Will my test result tell me to take Boost?
No. Your report describes the bacteria in your saliva. It isn't a product recommendation, and Boost isn't a treatment for any result. If you have questions about your result, go through it with your dentist.
Does Boost contain nitric oxide?
No. Nitric oxide is a gas your body makes on demand. Boost contains nitrate, the same precursor found in beets and leafy greens. Your oral bacteria and your body handle the rest.
Is the test a diagnosis?
No. The Balance Test measures bacteria in your saliva. It doesn't diagnose gum disease, cavities, or any medical condition, and it isn't a substitute for a dental exam. The systemic connections described here are associations reported in research, not conclusions about you specifically.
Does mouthwash affect the pathway?
Antiseptic mouthwash reduces nitrate-reducing bacteria along with everything else. If you use one, take Boost at a different time of day. Normal brushing is fine.
How long until I get test results?
Your report is ready within 2 business days of your sample reaching our lab, about a week from the day you mail it once transit both ways is counted. You'll get it in your private OraPath account.
Which states do you ship to?
We ship the at-home Balance Test to most US states, but not yet to AK, CA, CT, HI, MD, MA, NJ, NY, RI. Those states apply extra requirements to at-home lab testing, and we've held them back from this first launch rather than cut corners. We're working through them.
If you're in one of those states and want the test, ask your dental practice — they can order OraPath panels for you directly.
Not in your state yet
We can't ship the test to you yet. We'll tell you the day that changes.
Lab licensing works state by state, and a few are still in progress. If you're in one of them, leave your email and we'll let you know the moment the Oral Balance Test is available where you live — nothing else.
- Alaska
- California
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Rhode Island
Before you go
The sample report is open to read.
All five pages — every organism named, the four scores and what moved them, and every systemic association labeled by how strong the evidence actually is. No email needed to read it.
An occasional note about the test and what we're learning from it. Unsubscribe any time.
Thanks
You're on the list.
We'll be in touch now and then. In the meantime, the sample report is open whenever you want it.