Saliva – An Important Component of Good Oral Health

How this ‘simple’ bodily function aids our teeth and gums.

No part of the human body operates entirely on its own, with everything dependent on other parts of the body. This is also true in the mouth where simply looking after your teeth whilst ignoring your gums, for example, will not result in good oral health.

An often ignored bodily function, at least in a positive sense, is saliva. Whilst this may seem an unpleasant subject for some, the role it plays in keeping our mouths healthy is very important indeed, and, at our Derby dental practice, we see many cases where poor oral health has resulted due to a shortage of saliva flow.

Saliva

Whilst a great deal of saliva is made up of water, some of it is made from mucus and studies have shown that this mucus plays a role in protecting our teeth. Although the mucus does not actually kill off harmful bacteria that are present in our mouth in large quantities, it works by suspending these bacteria within the mucus, restricting their ability to attach themselves to the teeth. When there is insufficient saliva flow, the bacteria are then able to attach themselves to the teeth and gums, causing problems such as tooth decay and gum disease.

Oral health regimen

Whilst most patients at the Darren Bywater Dental Centre are fully aware of the importance of maintaining a good oral health regimen; regularly brushing and flossing their teeth as well as seeing our Derby dental hygienist from time to time for a full oral health check; this is negated to an extent if there is poor saliva flow. This can be caused by a number of factors including smoking and alcohol, but is also relatively common in diabetics and older patients.

There are however, a few things that can be done to improve saliva flow, and keep your teeth and gums healthy.

1. Stay hydrated – This can be easier said than done and many of us do not drink until we are actually thirsty. It is important, for good general health as well as oral, that we drink plenty of water each day. It is especially important that we are hydrated before we go to bed, as waking up with a dry mouth in the morning means that the bacteria have been working hard in your mouth for most of the night! It should be noted that fruit juices are not an ideal way to hydrate as they contain high amounts of sugar which is detrimental to your teeth
2. Chew sugar free chewing gum – The chewing action helps to stimulate saliva flow and chewing sugar free gum is a great way of doing this. There has been research that also shows that sugar free gum helps to pick up some of the bacteria that collects between the teeth. It should not, however, be seen as a replacement for flossing.

Finally, whether you have good or poor saliva flow, regular professional oral health checks are essential for your teeth and gums. To arrange an appointment with us, please call the Darren Bywater Dental Centre on Derby 01332 550926.

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