Dentist Deerfield IL: How Saliva Keeps Your Mouth Healthy Brushing your teeth and flossing are really important because good oral hygiene is essential in achieving dental health. Observing good oral practices help in the prevention of tooth decay, gum disease and bad breath. 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. Saliva is a watery and transparent liquid that is naturally present in our mouths that greatly contributes 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 gives protection to our teeth and gums against bacteria. 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 we age, we produce lesser amounts of saliva, which is called as dry mouth or xerostomia in medical term. 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. Having a dry mouth can attract germs and bacteria because of scarcity in saliva. It is the main reason why dry mouth is always accompanied by bad breath or halitosis, which also increases your risk for tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. Certain medications and smoking can cause dry mouth as well as chronic conditions such as diabetes, stress, and dehydration. It is essential to keep your saliva flowing so you can keep your teeth strong and your gums healthy. You can immediately produce saliva by chewing a sugarless gum, drinking water or eating something if you feel your mouth is dry. It is also important to talk to your doctor about the drying effects of any medications prescribed and consult a dentist if dryness of your mouth persist for unknown reasons. Indeed, there’s no doubt that saliva plays an important role in our oral health and our overall health. The saliva inhibits the bacteria by clearing the mouth from leftover food to prevent plaque from depositing on the teeth, and it has antibodies to destroy 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. You can check our website or contact us directly so we can help you in finding ways to help you achieve good oral health. Allow our Illinois-based dentist to help you.Getting Down To Basics with Health
Getting Down To Basics with Health
