You Need Your Spit!

Ever notice that when you get tired, your eyes get dry or your mouth gets dry?  Well, for most of us, this is our body shutting off the water for the night.  This has implications for your mouth and your overall health because your natural oral protector, your saliva, is reduced while you sleep.

If you haven't cleaned your teeth well before bed, then the bacteria still in your mouth can have a party all night long!  They build up tartar, which is essentially large colonies of bacteria attached to your teeth.  This situation can lead to gum disease and more cavities.  So you need your spit!

Other possible contributing factors to dry mouth during the day are dehydration and taking lots of medications.  Many of us don't drink enough water, which may cause a lowering of our immune defenses.  Even though it may mean more trips to the bathroom, we need to drink water in order to maintain our health, including our saliva.  As far as our medications go, we can talk to our physicians about choosing medications that don't have dry mouth as a side effect.  Cheers!