Saliva Flow

...Normalizing The Pathological Airway ...Oral Health Solutions

Saliva provides 3 important functions:

	Provides enzymes to help with digestion of food
	Provides a method to stabilize the pH (keep the acid levels in check)
	Provides high levels of oxygen in order to keep oral tissues healthy and fresh.

Saliva is a natural mouthwash. Insufficient flow of saliva is usually accompanied by:

	an increase in dental caries
	an increase in periodontal disease
	trouble with dentures
	bad breath

You will notice that bad breath is at it's worst when there is little or no saliva flow, for example after a night's sleep. One way to get saliva flowing is to drop a few drops of lemon on your tongue. Of course thinking about your favorite food should have a similar effect.

Many things have an effect on reducing saliva flow:

	not drinking enough, especially when living in a hot climate
	our mouths and throats tend to dry out when we are under stress
	just being nervous can cause bad breath
	talking too much
	age, from the age of 25 on, we all start to produce less saliva

The mouth odor has to do with the amount of oxygen available in your saliva. Bacteria that cause bad breath, thrive in an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment. When your mouth gets dry, your saliva disappears or gets thicker, with an accompanying reduction of Oxygen. The bacteria sense this difference and when the Oxygen level drops, they start to produce Sulphur Compounds, such as Hydrogen Sulphide (the rotten egg smell).

Seven Easy Ways To Increase Your Saliva Flow

	Drink plenty of water
	Stop smoking! Smoking dries the membranes of your mouth, alters its pH and interferes with healthy saliva flow.
	Avoid alcoholic beverages. Alcohol also dries oral tissues and inhibits critical saliva activity.
	Eat foods like carrots, celery, and other items that require lots of saliva-generating chewing.
	Keep your mouth moist by chewing sugar-free gum. Gum chewing helps generate saliva. Do so for short periods as chewing over long periods of time may encourage TMJ problems.
	Place a couple drops of lemon on your tongue
	Avoid sleeping on your back. It can block saliva flow to your stomach while you sleep and lead to bad breath caused by reverse stomach acid flow, or "acid reflux". Use a pillow to elevate your head and shoulders so gravity and your saliva can work together.

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Copyright ©2004 John S Viviano DDS; SleepDisordersDentistry.com, All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer

Last modified: October 17, 2007