In this blog post, we're going to be talking about saliva, or spit to use a less clinical term. Saliva does all sorts of things for the human body, from helping it eat to aiding in digestion to protecting the teeth. Saliva is mostly made from water and released from salivary glands in the cheeks, bottom of your mouth, and around the jawbone.
When a person doesn't produce enough saliva, which can be caused by many factors such as medication or tobacco use, rapid tooth decay and gum disease risk can increase immensely. To emphasize the importance of healthy saliva production, we're going to talk about four important ways your saliva protects your teeth from decay:
Saliva cleans out your mouth
Your salivary glands release produce and release saliva when you chew your food. This process serves many purposes, but one of the most important is removing pieces of food that get stuck to and in between your teeth. This keeps bacteria from living on your teeth and producing the acids that wear down your enamel.
Saliva can kill bacteria in your mouth
There is a growing body of research that suggests saliva may be a tool for the body to kill off bacteria that may harmful to more than just your mouth. A recent study published in the Journal of Dental Research identified significant antibacterial effects in saliva.
Saliva helps mitigate tooth damage and decay
According to the American Dental Hygienists Association, saliva contains bicarbonate, calcium, and phosphate, which help neutralize acid and also help strengthen and maintain healthy tooth structures.
Saliva helps your kids' teeth become strong
When young kids have a new tooth first peek through their gums, the enamel tends to be somewhat weak early on. Saliva carries the building blocks and necessary materials to start strengthening the enamel and make sure the tooth is healthy and strong.
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If you're experiencing dry mouth regularly, which, again, can occur for a number of reasons, please make an appointment to see your dentist. Healthy saliva production is essential to good oral health. If you enjoy reading our blog posts, please consider liking our Facebook page to see when we publish new posts.