Three Reasons Saliva Is The Ultimate Oral Hero

Dentist Blog

Saliva isn't exactly a word you associate with being heroic, but rather gross since it's associated with drool and spit. However, saliva is actually more important than you might think. Here are three reasons saliva is the ultimate oral hero:

1. Saliva Helps With Digestion: The first part of digestion starts when the food enters your mouth. When you are chewing your food, you are breaking it down so it becomes more digestible in the stomach. However, aside from chewing, the saliva you produce while eating is also playing an important role. Saliva helps you swallow the food and it even helps you chew your food and taste it. Without saliva, this would be impossible. Plus, it washes down excess food to prevent it from sticking to your teeth. 
2. Saliva Protects Your Teeth: Aside from washing away excess food, saliva also contains minerals like calcium to help strengthen your teeth. It also contains antimicrobial agents that defend against bacteria that would otherwise stick to your teeth. Instead, the bacteria is fought off and washed away. This means without saliva, you would have many more cavities and other oral health problems to deal with. 
3. Breaks Down Acids: Finally, saliva breaks down acids in foods and drinks that would be too strong for your stomach to handle. This means you could expect to have more acid reflux without your saliva. This acid is also not good for the teeth since it can break down the enamel of your teeth, thus making your teeth weaker and more likely to chip, break, and stain. 

Now you know why it's important not to be completely grossed out by your saliva. In fact, having a healthy amount of saliva means that your oral health is in good shape. However, some people do not create enough saliva. If this is the case for you, you will want to consider talking with your dentist about what you can do to resolve it. However, there are a few things you can do on your own, such as:

• Drink more water. 
• Chew sugar-free gum. 

Doing these two things naturally produces more saliva because the glands in your mouth are triggered to do so in order to aid in chewing and swallowing. If you continue to suffer from "dry mouth," however, then you may need extra help from your dentist, such as Trussville Dentistry. In the end, you are going to have a healthy amount of saliva that will become the hero of your smile. 

8 May 2017