What is Saliva?

Saliva, popularly known as spit, often gets a bad rap. After all, nobody likes to see a big wad of spit on the sidewalk. Saliva can be kind of gross to look at and, in some situations, it can spread disease. But saliva is also a vital substance made by the human body. Without the proper amount of saliva, your health suffers. At the very least, you would be much less comfortable if you didn't have enough saliva.

What is saliva?

Your mouth makes saliva 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's a clear, slightly viscous, sometimes frothy looking slippery fluid, mostly consisting of water, but also containing some other chemicals that help you digest food. Saliva is produced in the salivary glands, which can be found at several strategic locations in your mouth. There are salivary glands on the insides of your cheeks, under your tongue, under your jaw at the front of your mouth.

Although your mouth is always making saliva, certain situations can cause the process to speed up. For example, the smell of delicious food may make your mouth water. Your mouth will also produce more saliva when you're about to eat something. You can also summon more spit when you want to expectorate.

What does saliva do?

Saliva has a number of functions. The most obvious one is wetting down and lubricating food so that you can swallow it. When you take a bite of food, saliva mixes with it, making it slippery and easy to swallow. Saliva also contains enzymes that start the process of digestion while the food is still in your mouth. While the saliva mixes with the food and starts to break it down, your tongue pushes it around your mouth so that it can be further broken down by your teeth.

Speaking of teeth, saliva functions to help protect them from decay. Your teeth are constantly bathed in saliva, which helps rinse away food particles. Your saliva, combined with proper brushing and flossing, helps keep your teeth healthy and strong.

The enzymes in saliva also help protect your mouth from infections. The enzyme lysozyme occurs naturally in several body fluids, including saliva. It's a part of the immune system that keeps harmful bacteria in check. If your saliva doesn't have the proper level of enzymes, bacteria in your mouth can flourish, causing problems with your oral health. In fact, that's one way your doctor or dentist can tell if disease is present.

What saliva shouldn't do...

Saliva is a very useful substance for your body, but sometimes people overestimate what saliva can do. You shouldn't use saliva to cleanse a wound, even though saliva does have some antibacterial properties. Your mouth is not a sterile place; therefore, neither is your saliva. Using saliva to clease a wound may make the injury worse because your mouth may be teeming with bacteria or other microbes.

Saliva can help prevent disease, or it can help spread it...

There's a good reason why infectious mononucleosis--a.k.a. mono-- is sometimes called the "kissing disease". Mono is caused by the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), which can be carried in saliva. You can catch mono from kissing someone who has it, sharing the same toothbrush or pillow as an infected person, or using drinking or eating utensils after an infected person. In fact, mono is primarily spread through contact with the saliva of an infected person.

You can also be exposed to other infections like strep throat and cold sores through saliva. For that reason, you shouldn't share your saliva with other people. In fact, saliva is best kept in your own mouth.

Saliva is an amazing substance...

It does a lot to help you stay healthy and comfortable. The next time you wonder about how valuable saliva is, try spitting out all the saliva in your mouth and then trying to eat. You'll soon find out why your saliva has so much value to your health.

Sources:

www.kidshealth.org
www.wisegeek.com