Your mouth harbors hundreds of bacterial species, most of which coexist peacefully. This visualization models that ecosystem as a gravitational well — abundant, balanced organisms create a “commensal core” that anchors the community. Bacteria sitting deep in the well are ubiquitous and stable. Those perched on the rim are rare and disease-skewed — they’ve “escaped” the healthy equilibrium.
Try it yourself: Increase periodontitis pressure to see red complex pathogens (P. gingivalis, T. denticola, T. forsythia) break free toward the left. Increase caries pressure to watch acidogenic species (S. mutans, Lactobacillus) escape toward the right. The well tilts, and disease-specific taxa fall out.
Based on salivary microbiome data from Belstrøm et al. 2016 (n=30 patients: 10 periodontitis, 10 caries, 10 healthy controls).