Factors other than good Brushing & Flossing Techniques
Healthy saliva plays an important role in the maintenance of a healthy mouth. It is beneficial to both digestion and teeth to have a balanced and correctly functioning salivary flow.
The Goal of Healthy Saliva is:
To contain sufficient quantities of calcium and ions (phosphoproteins) to consistently re-mineralise tooth enamel
To neutralize acids formed by plaque that live on the tooth surface, by production of BiCarbonate Ions
To secrete enzymes that begin the process of digestion of food
To be produced in sufficient quantity and quality to cover and protect all the teeth in the mouth (this occurs even more so when chewing as chewing stimulates saliva flow)
Problems with salivary function can arise for a number of reasons:
Saliva may be acidic, which inhibits the ability to neutralize acids in the mouth, speeding up the tooth decay process
Saliva may not contain a sufficient quantity of ions therefore inhibiting the remineralisation of teeth and causing tooth sensitivity
There may not be enough saliva produced, inhibiting the ability to cover the entire surface of all the teeth, or the saliva may not be in a form conducive to complete coverage (for instance, stringy or bubbly saliva)
Causative Factors of Unhealthy Saliva & Raised pH (acidity)
Saliva
Stress, excessive intake of alcohol, caffeine and nicotine and insufficient intake of water can all inhibit the amount and quality of saliva. If consistent, this can lead to a constant “dry mouth” or stringy, frothy saliva, lacking in the necessary ions needed for tooth protection.
Role of Diet in raising Acidity
Acidic foods and drinks, many meals and snacks throughout the day, sports drinks etc can all affect the pH balance of the mouth, creating an acidic environment that encourages the formation of tooth decay.
Any refined carbohydrates can result in the formation of Acids.
Frequency of Eating – Especially Sugar. A diet with small or large amounts of sugar taken at frequent intervals leads to a high decay rate due to acid levels being raised for longer periods. A small or large amount of sugar taken only once or twice a day does not cause decay. It is the frequency not the quantity. Low frequency intake gives time for the decay area to remineralise to the extent that no clinical decay will appear (providing one has healthy saliva).
Solutions to Achieve Healthy Saliva
To rebalance the mouth’s natural environment, it is necessary to have three factors co-operating: An alkaline baseline, sufficient, watery/clear salivary flow and sufficient ions in saliva to remineralise teeth.
To achieve this balance we recommend the following regime:
pH monitoring
Supplementation of ions: Reparen and Recaldent chewing gum
Lemon juice diet
Lifestyle modification
pH Activity Monitoring
Take a piece of pH paper (available at Brunswick Holistic Dental Centre) and moisten it with your saliva (if you prefer reducing the risk of chemical exchange, place some saliva on a teaspoon instead). The paper will change colour. Match the colour with the chart provided to determine the pH level of your saliva. You’re looking for a reading of about 6.5 – 7.0. A lower reading means that your saliva is acidic.
Use the tracking chart provided by Brunswick Holistic Dental Centre to take reading three times per day to monitor the general trends of your saliva pH.
Firstly, when waking up
2 hours after breakfast
Thirdly, at bedtime, ½ hour after eating and brushing teeth
If your pH is consistently lower than 5.5 your mouth is too acidic to perform its protective function. This may lead to a tendency to develop dental disorders. It is ideal to test the pH in your mouth every 2-3 months in order to monitor improvement or decline.
Reparen is a brand name for a product that is based on a monobasic calcium phosphate compound. This form is well absorbed through the gut lining, and is in an ionic formulation that is absorbed through a negative feedback loop, meaning simply that however much is needed by the body will be absorbed and no more. It is also wise to eat foods high in magnesium or take a magnesium supplement to prevent free calcium excess. This compound then makes its way to the salivary glands and into the mouth, covering dentine and remineralising enamel, thereby lessening tooth sensitivity and increasing protection from tooth decay (not to mention bones and muscles as well!). Calcium phosphate is also alkaline in nature and so can have a positive effect on the pH of the mouth as well.
Recaldent
Recaldent is a specially formulated chewing gum that actively remineralise teeth and conditions saliva when chewing. Chewing also increases the amount of saliva produced. Racaldent (which has a refreshing minty flavour) is recommended to chew after meals or in replacement of your normal chewing gum, as aid to balancing out the environment of your mouth. This gum may be found at the dentist and chemists.
Lemon Juice Regime to Increase pH of saliva
Lemon juice actually has the ability to realkalise saliva through the physiological digestion and salivary pathways. It can be taken quite simply as a tablespoon of lemon juice in water in the morning and evening, or this protocol may be followed.
120-180mls of water
1 – 2gm Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or one squirt of lemon concentrate) or black grape juice
Mix together and take on rising, 30 minutes before or after evening meal and before bed.
Lemon juice is quite acidic in the mouth, so it is advisable to rinse your mouth out with water and not to brush too soon after taking the lemon juice, as the teeth are slightly more susceptible to wear. Alternatively a good idea is to drink the mixture with a wide bore straw.
Lifestyle Modification
Have a saliva test performed by a dentist to see if your saliva is healthy.
Drink plenty of water - About 2 litres a day in total (This may include teas, not coffee, as coffee has a diuretic action that dehydrates body fluids)
Lower consumption of the vices i.e., alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine (Some prescribed drugs may interfere with saliva production. See your GP if you’re wondering)
Diet wise - Eat more alkaline and alkaline forming foods. A very large proportion of foods regularly consumed are actually acidic in nature. A simple (but not definitive) test is to use some pH paper on a moistened portion of the food in question. Results may indicate general pH of the food. Fresh veggies are almost all alkaline; dried fruits are alkaline (fresh are mostly acidic), bread, etc.
A helpful website is: http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/food/ We also recommend the use of a diet diary (available at the surgery or simply note down what and when your consume foods and beverages) for a few days to determine if any of your habits are causing your mouth problems. Often it is difficult to put two and two together until your eating patterns are understood.
Lower stress level - (always a good thing!) By a method preferred by you (meditation, exercise etc).
Tooth brushing - Try to clean you teeth after most meals and keeps snacking to a minimum (constant snacking will keep the acid levels in your mouth high all day as it takes an hour to normalise alkalinity after eating).
Note - It is possible to have a very high metabolic acid or alkaline level, and these are medical conditions known as acidosis or alkalosis. Acidosis is caused by an accumulation of acid or a significant loss of bicarbonate in the bloodstream. This can be caused by chronic hyperventilation, severe dehydration, diahorrea, kidney disease or other metabolic dysfunction. Metabolic alkalosis is caused by an excess of bicarbonate in blood or a lack of potassium and may be indicated by symptoms such as confusion, stupor, prolonged tetany, numbness and tingling in face and extremities and nausea and vomiting. If you have any of these symptoms or are not feeling the best, then see your doctor.
