saliva

Saliva consists of over 99% water and provides the body’s own natural protection against tooth decay and gum disease.

The minerals in saliva are the same minerals (e.g. calcium) as in teeth, meaning saliva helps repair teeth. And, if you stimulate saliva, for example by chewing ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum, it has a much greater concentration of these minerals and neutralises plaque acids in the mouth.

Everyone has saliva, but do you know why?

Saliva is produced in response to reflexes triggered by taste stimulation and movements of the jaw muscles, joints and pressure on the teeth due to chewing. Three pairs of major glands controlled by the autonomic nervous system (the parotid, the sublingual and the submandibular) are responsible for the majority of salivary production as well as minor glands distributed around the oral cavity.

In the mouth, saliva controls the environment of the teeth. After eating and drinking, plaque bacteria in the mouth can ferment the sugars and starches found in many foods and drinks, to produce acid. Within five to ten minutes, the acid formed can cause the pH to drop to a level low enough for the teeth to start to decay. This is called demineralisation. Saliva acts to neutralise these acids and prevent demineralisation. Saliva also helps to repair the damaged mineral crystals in the enamel; this is called remineralisation.

In the mouth, saliva controls the environment of the teeth:

• Lubrication to facilitate chewing, swallowing and speech
• Cleansing to wash away food debris from the mouth and teeth
• Buffering to neutralise acid production by plaque bacteria
• Digestive to begin the breakdown of carbohydrates
• Remineralisation to help repair the early stages of tooth decay
• Protection against infection

Dental caries is the result of an imbalance between demineralisation and remineralisation. Plaque pH falls each time acids accumulate in the mouth due to bacterial acid production following the consumption of fermentable carbohydrates - mainly sugars – in foods and drinks. Within five to ten minutes of eating and drinking, the acids can cause the pH to drop to a level low enough (below pH5.5 approximately) for the minerals in the tooth’s enamel to be dissolved (demineralisation) causing initial lesions (white spots) which can lead to dental decay.

Saliva neutralises these acids and helps to repair the damaged mineral crystals in the enamel by replacing the lost minerals (remineralisation).

Saliva is the body’s own protection against tooth decay and stimulated saliva does this best.

An increased saliva flow actively reduces demineralisation and improves the rate of remineralisation. Stimulated saliva contains more calcium and phosphate and is saturated with bicarbonate buffers and remineralising ions, making it even more effective at remineralising the enamel crystals damaged by an acid attack and is therefore better at fighting tooth decay. A greater volume and flow rate of stimulated saliva also results in an increased ability to clear the remains of food, sugars and acids from around the teeth.

A healthy adult produces around 500ml of saliva per day. This can be stimulated by the motion of chewing or the sense of taste. Saliva can be stimulated by any food or drink, however, an effective way of stimulating saliva is by chewing ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum as it can remain in the mouth for a long period of time.

Chewing sugarfree gum, such as ORBIT Complete, has been shown to increase the flow of saliva by up to 7 times in individuals with dry mouth where some salivary activity occurs.

• Chewing ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum can increase the salivary flow by up to 10 times the normal rate.
• Chewing ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum for 20 minutes after eating and drinking increases bicarbonate in saliva and helps patients to neutralise plaque acid.
• Saliva stimulated by chewing ORBIT Complete sugarfree gum after meals and snacks has been proven to help reduce the risk of tooth decay by up to 40%.

• Difficulty in eating dry foods
• Pain or uncomfortable swelling
• General mouth discomfort
• Poor taste
• Denture problems
• Increased tooth decay
• Mouth and salivary gland infections
• Mouth ulceration
• Speech difficulties