Comment by johnyzee
The tone of the article is for some reason very dismissive and derisive of alternatives to plain dental hygiene. As you point out, if a simple supplement in the form of harmless bacteria could improve caries reduction by even a small amount, it seems it would be a valuable option.
There is an existing 'probiotic' that has been around for years and works the same way, and promises the same benefits, as the one described in the article, it is called Streptococcus salivarius M18, there are quite a few studies that indicate it does work to some extent [1]. You get them in the form of lozenges that you put in the mouth while sleeping and they dissolve by themselves, so not a very invasive treatment if one wanted to use it.
[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=Streptococcus+salivarius+M18
The claim of the headline is also not supported by the evidence shared in the article. As just one example, the article notes that many different strains of bacteria are responsible for caries. This fact doesn't necessarily say anything about the effectiveness of Lantern's treatments - although it might shed light on the mechanisms that make it effe tive (or not).
That's what the clinical trials and studies on the early adopters are for. There's lots of interesting commentary on the early research, such as Scott Alexander's write-up, that are much better than this article.