Saliva, also called spit, is among the most neglected elements when discussing dental and general health. However, this liquid has many benefits thanks to its components like water, electrolytes, enzymes, mucus, immunoglobulins, proteins, antibacterial compounds, and nitrogenous compounds. That said, we could not live without saliva. This blog discusses the different benefits of saliva to overall and oral health.

Acts as a Mouth Lubricant

Saliva or spit is a seromucous coating. That means it forms a barrier inside the oral cavity, between the oral mucosa and any item that enters the mouth. Among the most notable benefits of saliva is that it lubricates these surfaces. When it lubricates the oral cavity, saliva prevents the gums, cheeks, tongue, the floor of the mouth, and the palate from irritation. It also prevents these parts from sticking to each other.

Mouth tissues are soft and can easily be damaged if they become dry. Without saliva, moving our teeth would pose a never-ending danger of injury. Scraping teeth on a dry tongue or teeth for a long time could lead to the formation of mouth sores and ulcers. That is why dry and cracked lips are among the initial indications of dehydration. In this situation, the body safeguards itself by delivering the message via the mouth.

Supports Oral Microbiome

Saliva plays an essential role in balancing good-to-bad microbes in the oral cavity. The saliva's macromolecules, mucins, and proteins destroy, aggregate (gather), and cling to particular kinds of mouth bacteria. Mucins, particularly, can prevent oral bacteria from sticking to surfaces in the mouth and stop those bacteria from colonizing a given place. These functions assist in maintaining the mouth microbiome and preventing pathogens (cariogenic or cavity-causing bacteria) from colonizing the mouth.

Initiates Digestion

Digestion is a fundamental task. Chewing and swallowing start this process. However, these activities would be impossible without saliva, and digestion would not occur. If we had no saliva, we would not successfully chew or swallow. Breaking down big food bites would take an extended period, and our chances of choking on them would increase.

Chewing is essential for many reasons beyond reducing the chances of choking. As we chew, the saliva binds food debris into a slippery matter (a bolus) that easily goes into the esophagus. Then, the enzyme known as amylase breaks food particles down into simpler compounds, which is the initial step to food digestion.

In addition, saliva comprises enzymes that aid the intestines and stomach in metabolizing the molecules available in foods. This process helps our bodies absorb nutrients. The compounds that saliva has also safeguard your esophagus and throat from anything that would otherwise damage or irritate their sensitive tissues.

Stimulates Taste Buds

Saliva stimulates taste buds, enabling us to taste different types of foods. Food molecules with different flavors must be solubilized first, or made more soluble, before a person can taste; otherwise, we would not be able to enjoy food as much. Saliva carries these molecules to our taste buds and stimulates these buds to reveal the tastes that different foods offer.

When dehydrated, you may not taste food as much as you want. Many people add more sugar, salt, or other spices to boost the taste. But, this technique does not work since salt would cause you to be more dehydrated.

Therefore, strive to generate more saliva rather than add more sugar, salt, or other spices to your foods. Staying hydrated by consuming lots of water is one of the ways you can produce more saliva. Also, you can chew gum or snack on foods such as nuts, vegetables, and cheese.

Washes Away Food Particles

Saliva washes away food particles in the oral cavity. It rinses away food accumulation and prevents it from gathering in your oral cavity and between your teeth. If your saliva flow is proper, food debris is less likely to linger and ferment on the teeth and other places in your oral cavity. This reduces the risk of tooth decay and yellowing of the teeth, enabling you to maintain a brighter smile.

Promotes Wound Care

Saliva also assists in repairing mouth tissue. Saliva has particular growth factors and proteins that regenerate tissues and enhance wound healing. For example, if you bite the inside of your cheek, your saliva can initiate the recovery process.

Maintains Strong and Healthy Teeth

While defending teeth from dental caries, saliva assists in maintaining the teeth’s health and strength. The key to combating dental caries is reducing acid and scheduling routine dental check-ups. Food provides energy for the oral bacteria to create strong acids. Acids weaken the tooth enamel, allowing bacteria to enter the teeth. Saliva can neutralize these acids by correcting the mouth's pH levels. That is why the mouth produces more saliva whenever a person is eating. The saliva counteracts the acid that the bacteria produce.

Saliva also enhances remineralization if the enamel has already been destroyed. The teeth are demineralized and remineralized throughout. A good flow of saliva and the proper pH of 6 to 7 enable the saliva to convey minerals like calcium, phosphate, and fluoride to the teeth while safeguarding against acids that eat the enamel.

Buffers Acids

Not only does saliva eliminate food particles that may feed cavity-causing bacteria, but it also shields against acids that could destroy the tooth enamel. The shield role of the saliva is virtually nonexistent if the saliva’s flow rate is low. That is also called unstimulated saliva.

Prevents Mouth and Dental Diseases

The risk of developing dental diseases would increase if there were no saliva, plus the enzymes therein. Individuals who experience dry mouth also experience higher amounts of plaque. In addition, these individuals have higher chances of developing gingivitis, periodontitis, and tooth decay due to the absence of saliva and its enzymes.

For example, lysozyme is an enzyme that breaks down bacterial cell walls. Another essential enzyme is called lactoferrin. This is a protein enzyme that prevents bacteria from taking iron from us. That is helpful since bacteria require iron for growth and to cause illness. Lastly, saliva comprises antimicrobial peptides, which destroy bacteria by sticking to the cell walls. The peptides open big pores, leading to the drainage of cellular fluid and the death of bacteria.

Protects the Immune System

Saliva is essential to the immune system in two ways. Firstly, it binds the mucus layer in the oral cavity. The mucus layer is a protective layer that prevents dangerous microbes from entering our bodies. Saliva contains lots of plasma B cells that produce IgA antibodies. These antibodies are responsible for strengthening the mucus layer and keeping us healthy.

Secondly, saliva safeguards the immune system through suppression. At times, the body views non-dangerous proteins in foods as dangerous. This reaction can cause inflammatory problems in the throat and mouth, like allergies. However, salivary glands generate cells that suppress our immune system, protecting us from these overreactions.

Saliva plays a necessary role in maintaining proper general health. It helps us digest food, communicate, react to allergy-causing substances, and more. Routine dental checkups keep the mouth perfect and the salivary glands flowing.

Helps Identify Systematic Health Problems as a Diagnostic Element

The DNA in the saliva and salivary proteins can identify possible illness risks or the presence of an existing illness. Some conditions saliva may diagnose or predict include:

  • Neck and head cancer
  • Oral cancer
  • Acne
  • Viruses such as HIV
  • Issues with fertility and conceiving
  • Allergies
  • Chronic stress
  • Male-pattern baldness
  • Too-low body temperature
  • Sleep disruptions
  • Cardiovascular concerns (heart palpitations and high cholesterol)
  • Premature aging
  • Calcium absorption issues

Saliva is helpful in testing and screening the above conditions. Aside from DNA and proteins, saliva contains electrolytes, antibodies, and RNA that help identify illnesses. As a diagnostic tool, saliva is helpful in different ways, including the following:

  • It has a more significant patient acceptance rate than other diagnostic elements like stool, urine, or blood.
  • It minimizes the risk of transmission of diseases.
  • Drawing saliva samples involves a non-invasive, painless procedure for patients.
  • Harvesting saliva samples does not require special skills or necessitate on-site equipment. Thus, performing a diagnosis in the comfort of your home is possible.

You should never ignore the changes in your saliva, since these may indicate a more severe health issue. For example, diabetes is usually first detectable because of changes in saliva. Should your saliva start tasting sweeter, it is typically a symptom of high blood glucose levels, which may indicate a problem.

Acid reflux could also show up and be evident from a change in saliva. If you notice that you produce more saliva than usual, it may be a symptom of water brash. Water brash is prevalently detected in patients who have excessive stomach acid. Abnormally thick saliva could also be one of the early signs of the onset of cystic fibrosis. If you are not dehydrated and have noticed that your saliva is thicker, you want to visit your dental professional or doctor.

Saliva Helps Secure and Stabilize Dentures

Saliva is crucial in creating suction between gum tissue and dentures, making these dental restorations stable and secure. If you use dentures, you do not have to worry about them since saliva secures and anchors them in position.

However, when you advance in age, the rate of your saliva flow might reduce. In that case, your dentist may prescribe supplements to enhance the flow rate and stabilize the dental restorations for an extended period. As mentioned above, saliva also acts as a lubricant. It averts irritation and abrasion of the gum tissues underneath the dentures, keeping them secure for prolonged services.

You Must Keep Saliva Healthy to Maximize Its Benefits

To enjoy the benefits mentioned above, you should ensure your saliva is healthy. Only healthy saliva can function properly and enable you to have the best of your oral health. To maintain healthy saliva and ensure its production at a higher rate, consider the following tips:

  • Utilize artificial saliva products such as Biotene gel. These provide moisture for individuals who simply cannot generate sufficient saliva. If your case is severe, your dental professional may prescribe sprays for moistening the mouth.
  • Eat foods with different textures. Eating food that requires significant chewing promotes saliva flow.
  • Chew xylitol, erythritol gum or mints. These contain sugar alcohols that increase the quantity of saliva you generate and might encourage tooth remineralization.
  • Practice good dental hygiene, including flossing, teeth brushing, oil pulling, and tongue scraping.
  • Rinse your mouth with a diluted baking soda solution a few times daily. This may further shield the oral cavity and keep dental caries under control.
  • Address household and seasonal allergies to help encourage nasal breathing and avoid mouth breathing. Mouth breathing may cause dry mouth.
  • Avoid traditional mouthwash. Most mouthwashes dry the mouth out and destroy the oral microbiome.
  • Remain well-hydrated. Professionals recommend drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if your body weight is 150 pounds, drink no less than 75 ounces of water daily. Also eat hydrating foods, like watermelon and celery.
  • Mouth tape each night. Breathing through the mouth when sleeping is among the primary reasons for developing dry mouth.
  • Quitting some habits can help optimize healthy saliva production. Smoking is among these habits. Smoking is bad for your dental health. It exposes your oral cavity to toxic compounds and inhibits saliva production, resulting in dry mouth. Stopping smoking is among the best steps you can take for your dental health. Dry mouth could result in widespread oral health conditions like periodontal disease, increasing your chances of dental caries.

Find an Experienced General Dentist Near Me

Saliva is undoubtedly incredibly essential for many reasons. It safeguards teeth, helps in digestion, and fights against dental infections. If your body can produce enough saliva, you can avert secondary problems with your dental health, like tooth decay and gum disease. If you are concerned about saliva production and its effect on your dental health, schedule a regular checkup with your dental professional to learn more.

At Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles, we prioritize patient comfort. We are pleased to offer high-quality dental services throughout Santa Clarita, CA. We will explain how saliva benefits you in your daily life and what to do to ensure you have enough of it, plus conduct all other dental procedures and treatments. Schedule your dental appointment today at 661-775-7717 for a consultation.