It will take your breath away! What saliva flow has to do with dental health

Spit or saliva has a decisive influence on our dental health. How and in what form is the subject of this blog. This multifunctional universal liquid has amazing abilities.

It is rightly said that digestion begins in the mouth. The amylase contained in saliva breaks down starch into sugar that our body can use. And that is just one of the other factors that saliva influences on digestion. But back to our topic of dental health:

The miraculous liquid that enables us to swallow in the first place is made up of 99% water. The one percent is made up of minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphates, chloride and fluoride – yes, fluoride is also produced by our own bodies! The proteins contained in saliva are particularly relevant for tooth surfaces. They form a kind of protective shield on the tooth surface and on the oral mucous membranes: “buffer substances” that neutralize sugar or acid. Saliva is therefore something like a chemical toothbrush.

Saliva – the body’s own oral hygiene

Saliva

Fights viruses and bacteria

Protects teeth, oral mucous membranes and gums

Makes swallowing easier

Moistens food and makes it easier to swallow

Starts the digestion of sugar through the enzyme amylase

Supports speaking through its moistening function

Neutralizes acids
Supports the remineralization of teeth

Saliva contains all the minerals that are also contained in tooth substance and fulfills three important functions in natural dental hygiene:

CLEANING / REMINERALISATION / REGENERATION

A sufficient flow of saliva reduces the risk of tooth decay, as the bacteria have less chance of settling and the acids produced by the bacteria are neutralized.

Saliva also keeps the pH value in the mouth constant and protects the teeth from acid-related erosion. This is because our teeth are not acid-resistant. If the pH value in the mouth falls significantly below this level for a long period of time, the teeth are decalcified and their substance gradually breaks down.

But evolution changes its blueprints and programs in much longer time frames than humans change their lifestyle habits. Our saliva mixture is not geared towards fast food, sugary foods and excess acids and is overwhelmed as a cleaning and buffering medium. Plaque can spread or the excess acids can decalcify the tooth surface and gradually break it down. Plaque hinders saliva in one of its other functions, remineralization, because it tightly surrounds the tooth and does not allow access for the minerals contained in saliva.

The excretions of the bacteria contained in plaque attack teeth and gums. This leads to caries and periodontitis, a degenerative disease of the periodontal tissue, with a devastating long-term effect on the health of teeth and mouth. Although saliva has an excellent protective function, it is unfortunately no longer sufficient in modern times: optimal oral hygiene throughout the day has become essential.

Dry mouth – more than just unpleasant

Excitement, constant stress and age literally dry out the mouth. Diseases such as Sjorgen’s syndrome, in which immune cells attack the tear and salivary glands, chronic diseases such as diabetes, chemotherapy or radiotherapy also cause a lack of saliva. Around 4% of the population suffer from particularly dramatic forms of dry mouth, known as xerostomia.

Medications can also cause the salivary glands to become underactive. Around 80% of the most commonly prescribed medicines belong to this group.

The tendency to dry mouth has two main natural causes:

Getting older: saliva production decreases over the course of life.

Being a woman: women tend to produce less saliva. After the menopause, even less.

A lack of saliva endangers dental health and the health of the oral cavity. Inflamed gum pockets are comparable to open wounds: if they are not rinsed sufficiently, germs can even attack other organs. For this reason, good oral hygiene is essential, especially for women.

Tips to stimulate saliva flow and combat dry mouth:

Drink enough: water or unsweetened tea is best

Don’t smoke, this makes the saliva viscous

Rinse your mouth with a tablespoon of oil. This provides short-term relief.

Eat as neutrally as possible: avoid foods that are too spicy, sour, spicy or sweet

Discuss with your doctor whether a change in medication would be possible.

Ask at the pharmacy about artificial saliva preparations: sprays or gel.

Chew unsweetened chewing gum or suck unsweetened candy.

Try to brush your teeth after every meal to avoid damage to the hard tooth substance and soft tissue.

Make sure that the tooth substance is sufficiently remineralized by using fluoride.

Visit your dentist regularly to prevent tooth decay and mucous membrane damage or to detect them early.

Make sure that you maintain consistent oral hygiene and remineralize while you are on the go. I designed the small SNOW PEARL Travel Kit especially for this purpose. It fits in almost any handbag. The PEARL SHIELD Gel Toothpaste helps to keep the mineral structure of the tooth surface intact even when saliva flow is reduced thanks to its patented formula, which provides continuous fluoride release for up to 12 hours.