Saliva Testing
What is the role of saliva?
Saliva is nature’s primary defence system for the oral environment, and is particularly important for protecting exposed tooth surfaces.
Your saliva protects your teeth by:
If your body fails to produce enough saliva, or if it is of poor quality, the saliva may be unable to neutralise the acids in your mouth which can lead to severe dental problems and bad breath if left unchecked.
A simple in-office test is now available for evaluating how well saliva is protecting teeth.
How do I know if my saliva is healthy or not?
Here at smile concepts, we can perform a simple saliva test that will identify in just a few minutes if you are at risk of dental problems due to unhealthy saliva.
What are some of the causes of unhealthy saliva?
- Stress
- Intake of alcohol
- Intake of caffeine
- Intake of nicotine
- Acidic foods and drinks
- Occupation
- Dehydration/lack of water consumption
- Medication and general health
What are some of the tell tale signs?
- Dry mouth during sleeping
- Dry mouth during the day
- Lack of lubrication during eating, talking or swallowing
- The taste of food has changed
- Bad breath
What happens when saliva stops protecting your teeth?
There is reduced clearance of bacteria and food from the mouth, reduced buffering of acid challenges, and diminished remineralising potential. The oral cavity therefore becomes more acidic.
What do you do if the test is positive and you are at risk?
We will discuss with you a treatment plan on how to manage your saliva. The plan may require a change of diet, lifestyle or tooth brushing habit. You might even require a regular application of a tooth coating or have a thin protective layer placed over 'at risk' tooth surfaces.
Ask us for a saliva test. It’s quick, painless and simple!
If you would like more information on this subject, please contact Smile Concepts directly by clicking here or ringing 02 9267 7777
