Saliva acts as your mouth’s natural defense system, protecting you against gum disease and tooth decay by neutralizing acids that damage enamel. Saliva’s compounds prevent bacteria from flourishing while dislodging food particles and neutralizing acids which attack enamel.
Saliva helps maintain an equilibrium between demineralization and remineralization, with hyposalivation and xerostomia serving as evidence of its importance.
It Cleans Your Mouth
Saliva is an all-purpose liquid that works to defend you against bacteria and germs around the clock, carrying away food particles so they don’t adhere to the teeth and form plaque, an adhesive substance linked to tooth decay.
Saliva contains enzymes which begin breaking down carbohydrates as you chew, aiding digestion. Furthermore, saliva lubricates your mouth so you can easily chew and swallow without difficulty and enhances flavor of food.
Saliva plays an essential role in fighting off infections like gingivitis and oral thrush by killing harmful bacteria through antimicrobial compounds present in it, helping keep their populations down and remineralizing teeth after acids attack and erode enamel surfaces.
It Helps You Taste Better
Saliva contains antimicrobial proteins and antibodies to keep harmful bacteria at bay and decrease your risk of gum disease and tooth decay. Furthermore, saliva dilutes food sugars so they become less available for oral microbes to consume.
Saliva can also aid our ability to taste things more clearly. Researchers have observed that when they smell bread, saliva proteins (starch-digesting amylases and cystatins) increase, making it easier for you to detect its flavor.
Saliva also helps lubricate the soft tissues in your mouth and throat, making chewing and swallowing easier. Without it, foods can lodge between teeth, throat and esophagus causing pain and discomfort. People suffering from xerostomia, or dry mouth syndrome, often produce much less saliva and find eating difficult; sugar-free candy or gum may stimulate saliva flow while medical treatment options also exist for xerostomia sufferers.
It Helps Your Teeth Stay Healthy
Saliva helps maintain an optimal balance between acids produced by bacteria in the mouth and minerals found in teeth to keep them healthy. Furthermore, saliva contains various proteins which fight germs and support tissue growth – researchers have identified over 1,000 distinct proteins found in saliva that serve a range of important functions.
Saliva plays an essential part in digestion by breaking down starches in foods you chew, and in “diluting” acidic foods you consume, thus decreasing your risk for tooth decay and gum disease.
To encourage your body to produce enough saliva, drink plenty of water throughout the day and chew sugar-free gum regularly. Furthermore, avoid mouth-breathing, which can dry out your saliva supply and lead to decreased production. Brush twice daily and floss on a regular basis while avoiding food or medications that hinder spit flow as another means to increase saliva flow.
It Aids in Digestion
Saliva makes it easier to chew and swallow food, soothes the mouth for comfort and aids digestion by setting off chemical reactions in your mouth. A protein found in saliva called amylase begins breaking down starches found in food before sending it through to be processed further by your digestive system.
Saliva contains numerous antimicrobial proteins to fight bacteria in your mouth. Some of these proteins clump together bacteria for easier swallowing while others puncture bacterial cell walls to kill them off.
Hypersalivation, or overproduction of saliva, can be detrimental to oral and overall health. On the other hand, producing too little saliva (dry mouth) may put your teeth at risk as well as signal other health concerns. Scientists are currently exploring how saliva could be used as an early diagnostic indicator for cancer, AIDS, gum disease and other chronic illnesses.