The watery liquid generated by glands underneath the tongue, saliva, is an important part of the digestion process. Because saliva is 98% water, it moistens the mouth and aids in the compacting of food into softer particles for easy swallowing. Our teeth and tongue act as a food processor, employing saliva as the liquid to form a stomach-friendly combination. Chewing your meal thoroughly is vital because it allows the enzymes in your saliva to begin the process of breaking down carbs, which is an important element of digestion.
In contrast, eating partially digested food quickly followed by significant amounts of liquids depletes the function of saliva, resulting in lumps of food being delivered to your stomach rather than smaller particles. You can ensure that saliva has a chance to perform its work and help the rest of your digestive processes function more smoothly by chewing your meal completely.
Saliva contains a variety of essential substances, including electrolytes, enzymes, mucus, antibiotic chemicals, and helpful microorganisms. Saliva is slightly alkaline, with abundant calcium and phosphate ions, making it the ideal environment for your teeth.
The capacity of saliva to protect dental enamel against the eroding effects of acidic (low-pH) drinks was investigated in a short research combining two tests recently published in Health1. Saliva has been demonstrated to buffer acid in previous research, but this study focused on how effectively saliva protects against tooth demineralization induced by acidic liquids like soda pop and orange juice. Saliva protects the teeth and provides a continuous preventive impact, according to the study.
The authors of the study also claim that their findings show that saliva’s buffering capacity does not directly correlate with the pH level of the beverages consumed, implying that the risk of demineralization from a particular drink cannot be accurately measured based on its pH level alone, as has been standard practise. They also discovered that saliva, which is rich in tooth-related minerals, not only protects teeth against acidic drinks’ potential for demineralization, but also plays a critical role in remineralizing damaged tooth enamel.
