Reverse the Stink!

My youngest daughter, Natalie
by Richard Bradshaw

Now that the bacteria have been killed, and you have washed out your mouth, let's discuss the final way to tip the scales in your favor!
Let's talk about spit!  Ewwww!

Saliva is your natural protector.  When you have enough saliva, it works to prevent cavities and gum disease.  You should know that every time you eat, your saliva takes about 30 minutes to return your mouth to neutral.  Things like soda don't help, especially if you sip it all day, because soda is acidic.  Our mouths like to be neutral.  So just quit all soda, right?  Maybe that's a bit extreme, but if you understand what is happening in your mouth, you can do other things to combat it, tipping the scales to good oral health even though you like soda!

Saliva isn't water!  It has lots of chemicals and enzymes and buffers.  You can imagine what would happen if you don't have all of this salivary goodness!  The bacteria, especially the bad kinds, can etch into your teeth and grow rapidly in your gums.  Then, how can you boost your saliva?  Two easy ways:  drink enough water or water-based liquid (that doesn't include soda!), and stimulate your saliva with sugarless mints or gum.

Plus, at night our saliva shuts down, which means the most important time to clean and prevent is before we sleep.  And then, we wake up to all of that stink of morning breath, ugh!  Another wrench thrown into the mix is medication:  many medications dry out our mouths as a side effect.  Your dentist or physician can let you know if dry mouth, or xerostomia, is a side effect of any of your medications.

So get your spit flowing and make sure when it doesn't flow, you have a clean mouth!