Saliva And Oral Health

Saliva has a number of important roles within the body and many of these benefit your oral health.

What is saliva?
Saliva is a watery fluid, which is secreted by the salivary glands, which are located in the throat, near the front teeth and at the bottom of the mouth. Saliva is clear and it is primarily composed of water; it is secreted into the mouth when the salivary glands are stimulated; this occurs when you chew your food or you suck on something.

Why is saliva important?
Saliva is important for many reasons; it helps to keep your mouth moist, it enables you to chew and break down your food properly and it helps to fight off harmful bacteria, which contribute to bad breath.
Saliva is also very important for oral health; when you chew your food, saliva is released into the mouth and this not only helps your digestion, but also removes food debris and bacteria from your mouth to prevent the formation of plaque, the most common cause of cavities and gum disease. Saliva also contains minerals, which are very important for maintaining strong, healthy tooth enamel; the enamel is the hard protective layer of the tooth.

Saliva also helps to hold dentures in place and prevent them from slipping.

What happens when there is a shortage of saliva?
On average, you produce around 2-4 pints of saliva per day, but dry mouth, a condition, which is associated with a lack of saliva, is very common. Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, can be caused by many different factors, from health conditions and smoking, to taking certain types of medication and dehydration. Without saliva, the mouth becomes dry and uncomfortable and bacteria, which are harmful to the body, are able to thrive. The mouth can also become inflamed as a result of a lack of saliva and the build-up of bacteria increases the risk of dental diseases and bad breath.

Dry mouth can also be a problem for denture wearers, as the dentures are held in place by the natural suction of the gums.

A shortage of saliva also makes eating difficult; if you are unable to chew and grind your food properly, this makes it hard to eat certain foods and you may find that you have to stick to soft foods, which do not require a lot of chewing.

What should I do if I have a dry mouth?
If your mouth is dry and there is not enough saliva, try and increase the amount of fluid you take in and chew sugar-free chewing gum to try and stimulate the salivary glands. If dry mouth persists, see your doctor or dentist, as there may be a medical cause, which requires treatment. It is possible to moisten your mouth using artificial saliva; this may be recommended for people who have health problems that contribute to dry mouth, such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes or Sjogren’s syndrome. For more information on how the production of saliva can help brace wearers visit the official braces website.

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Exploring the Connection Between Mouth and Body

For many people, their oral health only acts as a barometer of whether or not they brush and floss regularly. However, your oral health can actually tell you a lot more about what’s going on with your overall health if you know how to read the signs.

When you consider that the mouth acts as a gateway to the body, it’s not surprising to realize that one of the first symptoms of a more serious underlying condition may manifest as an oral health problem. In recent years, researchers have dedicated more time exploring this connection, and have begun to gain a better understanding of what these different symptoms can point to.

Gum Disease

When it comes to the health of our bodies, no part gets ignored more frequently than our oral health.  Approximately 75 percent of adults in the U.S. suffer from some type of gum disease, which is caused by a buildup of bacteria in the mouth and ranks as the number one cause of tooth loss. Despite this overwhelming number, the majority of Americans probably don’t consider gum disease a serious medical condition. However, gum disease is an infection that can spread throughout your entire mouth. If an infection the same size as what gum disease can cause were to manifest on an arm or leg, you’d rush to the hospital for treatment.

The bacteria that causes gum disease can do more damage to the health of your body than just the loss of a few teeth. Mouth bacteria can also cause a variety of other serious medical conditions that can range from heart disease to diabetes. Researchers believe that bacteria from the mouth can enter the blood stream, which causes inflammatory reactions elsewhere in the body. Inflammation can cause a number of serious conditions, including arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. By not taking care of gum disease at an early stage, you might be setting your body up for a more serious problem later on down the road.

Diabetes

Perhaps no condition better exemplifies the mouth body connection than diabetes, a disease that causes an imbalance in an individual’s blood sugar levels. Individuals who struggle to keep down their blood sugar levels have a higher risk of developing gum disease. Individuals with gum disease have a harder time managing their blood sugar levels. So in other words, if you have trouble managing your diabetes you’re more likely to develop gum disease, which in turn makes it more difficult for you to manage your diabetes.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth occurs when your body no longer produces enough saliva to retain moisture in the mouth. Without saliva, you’ll have a hard time chewing, swallowing, and even talking. While a number of fairly common conditions can cause dry mouth, including taking certain medications and wearing ill-fitting dentures, dry mouth can also be a sign of a more serious condition called Sjogren’s syndrome. An autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s causes the immune system to attack saliva ducts and tear glands in the body, which results in chronic dry mouth and dry eyes.

However, like all autoimmune diseases, Sjogren’s can progressively get worse, and cause debilitating joint pain and fatigue, blurred vision, frequent mouth infections, and occasionally lymphoma.

Gum Discoloration

A healthy set of gums should appear bright pink, and not red or swollen. Occasionally, gums can become sore and pale in color, which could indicate that you’re suffering from anemia. Generally the result of an iron deficiency, anemia causes the body to produce too few healthy red blood cells. Without enough red blood cells, your system can’t successfully transport enough oxygen throughout all of the organs in the body. Anemia can also cause fatigue, feelings of sluggishness, and swelling of the tongue.

Tooth Loss

While tooth loss is commonly associated with gum disease, it can also be the result of a variety of other serious conditions. Research has indicated that individuals who suffer from tooth loss have a higher risk of developing a kidney disease. Tooth loss can also be a early sign of osteoporosis, a disease that causes bone structures throughout the body to become weak and brittle. 

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