Saliva’s Magnificent Role in Maintaining Oral Health and Preventing Dry Mouth

Saliva: You never notice it until it’s gone. When it exists in abundance, i.e. when your salivary glands function properly, your mouth feels comfortable during conversations, your taste buds enjoy every bite of food, and your teeth are protected from damage. 

 

When saliva is missing, i.e. your salivary glands cease to function properly – a condition known as dry mouth or xerostomia – simple daily activities like eating and talking become arduous struggles, and even when resting quietly, a burning, sticky oral sensation is present. 

 

At Saliwell, we understand the impact of reduced saliva, which is why we developed the SaliPen®, a non-invasive device that delivers gentle electrical impulses directly to the oral cavity. This stimulates the salivary glands to produce more saliva naturally. The result? Restored comfort and enjoyment to everyday activities and improved long-term oral health. 

 

In this blog post, we’ll discuss the important role saliva plays in oral health and quality of life, and how the SaliPen and other options can help treat this condition.  

 

Saliva’s Many Roles in Maintaining Oral Health

In healthy adults, the salivary glands produce between .5 and 1.5 liters of saliva every day. Saliva consists of 99% water, but that critical 1% includes vital electrolytes, enzymes, mucins, immunoglobulins, and antimicrobial proteins that provide countless oral health benefits, including:

 

• Lubrication and comfort: Mucins coat oral surfaces, enabling smooth speech, swallowing, and denture retention.
• Digestion and taste: Produced by the parotids, the largest pair of salivary glands, the enzyme α-amylase starts breaking down starches the moment food enters your mouth, while saliva dissolves flavor molecules so taste buds can do their job.
• Cleansing: The constant flow of saliva washes away food particles, sugar, and bacteria, reducing the fuel that powers plaque.
• Buffering and pH control: A healthy oral pH ranges from 6.2 to 7.6, but often changes due to the influx of food and drink. Saliva, a fairly neutral substance, has a buffering capacity that maintains a balanced pH after acidic encounters. 
• Remineralization: Supersaturated with essential ions like fluoride, calcium, and phosphate, saliva plays an important part in tooth enamel’s remineralization.
• Antimicrobial defense: Saliva contains antiviral, antimicrobial, and antifungal compounds that protect against potential pathogens.

 

The many roles of saliva make it one of the body’s most sophisticated (and often overlooked) defense systems. 

 

When Saliva Production Diminishes, The Mouth is in Trouble

Approximately 20% of the global adult population experiences xerostomia, and the prevalence climbs significantly with age: up to 30% of people over 65 and 40% over 80 report dry mouth. 

 

Symptoms include:

• A sticky, sore, or burning tongue/throat
• Hoarseness
• Bad breath
• Difficulty eating and talking
• Altered or diminished taste
• Interrupted sleep (due to oral discomfort or frequent thirst)
• Difficulty wearing dentures
• Increased tooth decay, tooth loss, gum disease, and oral infection

 

As a result of these symptoms, many people who experience xerostomia report social withdrawal, as eating and speaking become difficult and they become more self-conscious. These physical and emotional symptoms combine to present a serious challenge to quality of life. 

 

Why Saliva Production Decreases: Xerostomia Causes and Treatments

We know that saliva is important for oral health and basic daily functions, but what makes saliva production slow down?

 

Medication is one of the most common causes of xerostomia; hundreds of prescription drugs list dry mouth as a potential side effect. The problem compounds when people take more than one medication; polypharmacy is strongly linked to dry mouth. Other common causes include autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. 

 

A note: Dehydration may cause temporary dry mouth, but it isn’t a primary cause of xerostomia. Yes, people who are dehydrated may experience constant thirst or dry, cracked lips, and in these cases, drinking sufficient water will alleviate the problem. This is not the case with xerostomia. While drinking water may temporarily alleviate discomfort, it’s not a miracle cure for malfunctioning salivary glands.

 

As of now, there is no cure for xerostomia, but there are several treatments. Because xerostomia is related to salivary gland function, effective treatments are those that target the salivary glands to make them produce more saliva. Several medications do this effectively, but these medications might not be suitable for everyone.

 

Electrostimulation via the SaliPen is a drug-free method of stimulating the salivary glands to naturally produce more saliva, and unlike medications, there are no side effects.

 

Lifestyle adjustments and support tools that provide temporary relief of dry mouth symptoms include:

• Sipping water frequently
• Saliva substitutes like gels, oral rinses, gum, or lozenges
• Using a humidifier at night
• Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine 
• Practicing excellent oral hygiene 

 

Paying Attention to the Warning Signs

When the salivary glands function properly, we don’t pay them much attention. When dry mouth occurs, saliva suddenly becomes the focal point of treatment: ensuring there is both a high quantity and quality of saliva to make everyday functions seamless. 

 

However, dry mouth doesn’t usually occur overnight. The process is often slow, and in the beginning, might be chalked up to a virus, changing weather, or not drinking enough. But if your dry mouth persists for several weeks, it’s time to see a doctor, dentist, or oral health specialist. The faster you identify dry mouth, the more effective the treatments can be. This is especially true for oral health complications caused by dry mouth; decreased saliva for a few weeks will wreak much less havoc than decreased saliva for a few months or even years. 

 

So pay attention to the signs: frequent thirst, dry cracked lips, increased teeth and gum challenges. These signs are especially relevant if you start a new medication, have been diagnosed with an autoimmune or thyroid disease, or have received radiation treatment for head and neck cancer.

 

When working properly, saliva isn’t something you’re supposed to notice. But when you begin to notice unpleasant oral symptoms, it’s time to give your saliva the attention (and credit) it deserves. 

 

FAQs

How do I know if I have dry mouth or am just dehydrated?

If you consistently drink enough water and still experience a dry, sticky feeling in your mouth, unquenchable thirst, burning tongue, and cracked lips, dehydration is likely not the issue. Consult with a doctor, dentist, or oral health specialist who is trained in diagnosing xerostomia.

 

Can medications like Ozempic or ADHD drugs cause permanent dry mouth?

Many medications, including Ozempic and ADHD medications, cause dry mouth. When this happens, stopping the medication usually puts an end to dry mouth. In some cases, stopping the medication is not an option, and this is when you can seek external dry mouth treatments like the SaliPen.

 

Does saliva production naturally decline with age?

Aging, on its own, doesn’t usually cause a decrease in saliva production. However, other factors associated with dry mouth, such as disease, cancer treatment, medication consumption, and polypharmacy, become more common as people age, which is why dry mouth is more prevalent among the elderly population. 

 

Are saliva substitutes enough to treat dry mouth?

Saliva substitutes provide short-term moisture to alleviate the discomfort of dry mouth, but they lack the enzymes, buffering capacity, and remineralizing ions of real saliva. Stimulating the salivary glands to produce more natural saliva is a more effective dry mouth treatment, but can be done in conjunction with artificial saliva for increased comfort. 

 

How does the SaliPen treat dry mouth?

The SaliPen delivers mild electrical impulses to the oral cavity to activate the nerves and muscles around the salivary glands, mimicking natural signals that trigger saliva production. Sessions are quick, painless, and can be done at home or on the go.

 

Where can I buy the SaliPen?

You can buy the SaliPen from the official website.