Dentist Deerfield IL 2017: The Role of Saliva in Keeping Your Mouth Healthy Good oral hygiene is essential in achieving dental health, so brushing your teeth and flossing are really important. These practices help in preventing bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay. Studies have shown the direct relationship between oral health and the overall health in terms of preventing medical diseases like heart attack, diabetes, stroke as well as preterm labor. Apart from good oral hygiene, it is important to know the crucial role of saliva in the maintenance of oral health. Our saliva is a transparent and watery liquid that is naturally produced in our mouths, greatly contributing to our oral health. You can consider your saliva as a climate-control system, with powerful substances and acid helping in the dissolving and digestion of food. Our saliva can give protection to our teeth and gums. Your saliva have germ-minimizing minerals and proteins and tooth-fortifying properties that can help lower the risks of tooth decay and gum disease. Dentures are worn as people age and saliva helps in securing dentures in place. As people age, we produce less saliva and this is termed as dry mouth or in medical term, xerostomia. The symptoms of xerostomia include difficulty swallowing or dysphagia, a feeling that your tongue is swollen, or a feeling of forcefully pushing spit down to your throat. A dry mouth is a good medium for germs to grow and proliferate, causing bacterial invasion due to decreased production of saliva. That is why bad breath is also a sign of dry mouth, increasing your risk for tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. The other cause of dry mouth include smoking, stress, dehydration, diabetes and certain medications. To keep your teeth strong and your gums healthy, it is important to keep your saliva flowing. You can immediately produce saliva by chewing a sugarless gum, drinking water or eating something if you feel your mouth is dry. Go to your dentist if dryness of your mouth persist. There is no doubt that our saliva plays a crucial role in our dental health and overall health. Our saliva cleanses and clears the mouth from leftover food that causes dental plaques, and our saliva has antibodies that help in destroying harmful microorganisms from the mouth. Our saliva helps in the restoration of our mouths’ pH level to help prevent damage to tooth enamel from acidic food. If you want to know more about the importance of saliva and oral hygiene, feel free to check our website or contact us directly. Allow our Illinois-based dentist to help you.What Research About Health Can Teach You
