Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Saliva

At Dennis J Coleman DDS – Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, we encourage our patients to come in twice a year for a dental examination and cleaning. We also encourage our patients to be knowledgeable about oral health issues.

Let’s discuss saliva. This typically yucky substance is, in reality, a finely balance body fluid that not only maintains dental health but also aids in digestion of your food.

But what’s in saliva?

Water. No surprise here! Your saliva consists mostly of water.
Enzymes. Enzymes are vital biological catalysts that speed chemical reactions. The enzymes in saliva begin the process of digestion.
Immunoproteins. These are powerful cells that fight cellular invaders, such as bacteria. Those in saliva inhibit the overgrowth of microbes in the mouth. This is essential to avoiding gingivitis and keeping a healthy pH balance in the mouth.
Minerals. Saliva minerals assist in maintaining the protective enamel surface of the teeth.

Most dental patients produce enough saliva, but some suffer from dry mouth, which is a lack of saliva. This can be dangerous to your dental health, so be sure to speak with your dentist if you are experiencing this.

You can get treatment for the whole family all in one convenient location at Dennis J. Coleman DDS – Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, in Davidson. Helping our dental patients maintain ideal dental health is important for me, and so is helping them achieve the smile they want through cosmetic dentistry procedures such as veneers, teeth whitening and complete smile makeovers.