Salivary Health

The Importance of Good Salivary Health 

One of the most important aspects of good oral health is healthy saliva production. Saliva has several purposes inside of the mouth, and people who do not make enough saliva can face deterioration of their dental health, gum disease, and eventual tooth loss.

Importance of Saliva

Most people don't spend time thinking about their saliva production until there is a problem, or their dentist points out how important it is for overall oral health. The truth is, saliva production affects your mouth at every moment of every day, and the effects can be negative or positive.

Proper saliva production is necessary for a healthy mouth, proper digestion, cleaning your teeth, and ensuring that your gums remain healthy. So what do you need to know about it?

What is Saliva?

The makeup of saliva is quite simple. It is 98 percent water, but it contains small traces of important substances that keep the mouth healthy and protect the gums and teeth. While the exact makeup of saliva can vary from day to day, the primary trace ingredients found in it include:

• mucus
• proteins
• minerals
• electrolytes
• antibacterial compounds
• enzymes

Saliva's primary purpose is to moisten the mouth and provide comfort. It lubricates the mouth and your food as you chew and swallow. While it does this, it neutralizes acids that harm teeth and gums. It kills off germs that cause bad breath and cause tooth decay and eventual gum disease.

Saliva also protects enamel and can increase the rate that wounds heal inside the mouth and throat. By keeping them moist and decreasing bacteria, wounds heal much faster.

The Origins of Saliva

There are three major pairs of salivary glands, and there are also hundreds of minor salivary glands located throughout the oral cavity.

Most saliva is produced by the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular glands. Tiny tubes known as salivary ducts carry the saliva from the gland and into the mouth continuously to ensure that the mouth stays moist at all times.

The salivary gland begins producing more saliva when the mouth is continuously moving, specifically when you are chewing or when you smell food. When following a healthy diet, the average person creates between 2 to 4 points of saliva daily.

What Makes Saliva So Important?

Saliva is an integral part of maintaining overall physical health. Research has proven that having the appropriate amount of saliva production protects against gum disease, dental decay, and various oral infections.

The job of saliva is to thinly coat teeth and other oral structures to protect against disease-causing bacterial and microbial infections.

Saliva moves around the mouth to help wash away small bits of food that get trapped inside the mouth and between teeth. The bacteria that it sweeps away is what is responsible for causing dental decay and gum disease.

Protecting Against Tooth Decay

Since the primary purpose of saliva is to neutralize the acid inside the mouth that breaks down tooth enamel, ensuring that your body makes enough saliva is extremely important to ensure that your mouth does not remain too acidic.

When acid does damage tooth enamel, saliva replaces the enamel's protective surface by utilizing a process called remineralization.

Remineralization

The process of remineralization is relatively complicated. However, the trace amounts of calcium, phosphorus, fluoride and other minerals found in healthy saliva help to repair the surface enamel of damaged teeth, but it can take time, and can only correct so much damage at a time.

This constant washing process results in protection and cavity resistance for the enamel of your teeth.
Saliva and Digestion

Saliva plays an extremely important role in the beginning portion of digestion. The active ingredient in saliva that assists in digestion is called amylase. This ingredient in saliva breaks down common ingredients like:

• starch
• maltose
• dextrose

These compounds are broken down into smaller molecules that the stomach can manage.

Saliva also helps moisten and soften food so that it can be chewed and slide down your throat easier, reducing the risk of choking.

Xerostomia (Dry Mouth)

Some people naturally are unable to make enough saliva. This condition is called xerostomia, or dry mouth. People who do not produce enough saliva are at risk for developing saliva, tooth decay, gum disease, yeast infections, bacterial infections, and fungal infections.

Everyday daily activities like chewing, swallowing, and digestion become extremely difficult, and the risk of bad breath increases dramatically.

Risk Factors for Xerostomia

There are health conditions that make the development of xerostomia more likely. Conditions like Sjogren's syndrome and diabetes make the development of the condition more likely. Being dehydrated, smoking, and breathing through one's mouth makes dry mouth more likely as well.

Certain medical treatments are also known to cause dry mouth. Cancer treatments and a multitude of medications increase the risk as well.

Treating Dry Mouth

There are many different treatments for dry mouth. Many of the initial treatments can be handled on your own once you notice the symptoms of the condition.

• Increasing daily water intake.
• Chewing sugar-free gum
• Sucking on sugar-free candy
• Daily brushing and flossing
• Talking to your doctor about medications you are taking that may cause dry mouth

There are many ways to treat dry mouth, but the best treatment for the condition is to prevent it if possible. Seek treatment before a symptom interferes in your health or causes tooth decay and damage to your gums.

About the Author

Dr. Marichia Attalla is aleading Nassau County Periodontist. Learn more about her treatments by visiting her website at NassauCountyPeriodontist.com