Staying hydrated helps our organs work properly, lowers blood pressure, fends off headaches and can increase your memory and mood. Did you also know all of the dental benefits associated with drinking water?
Battles Dry Mouth
A leading cause of xerostomia (dry mouth) is dehydration. This very serious condition greatly increases a person’s risk for decay. Without saliva, your mouths cannot stay protected against cracked lips and opportunistic bacteria or viruses. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water and you can expect to make enough spit in your lifetime to fill up a medium sized swimming pool! Needless to say, you have got to drink lots of water to keep up with those salivary glands.
Freshens Breath
You need saliva to keep your mouth clean and moist. If acids produced by plaque don’t get washed away, they build up along the tongue, cheeks and gums. Also when germs and food are decomposing, they create a terrible taste. This halitosis can be socially embarrassing and lead to a number of uncomfortable situations. Do a quick breath check by licking the top of your hand, blowing it dry and then taking a sniff.
Fights Decay
Every time you eat, the pH in your mouth drops lower than normal. The acids created can stay around for up to thirty minutes if not washed away with water or a healthy amount of saliva. Since acids often result in cavities, it’s important to rinse with water after meals, especially if you just snacked on something sweet or sticky.
Makes Things Taste Better
Are you adding salt or sugar to everything you eat? When germs coat the surface of the tongue, they cover up those sensitive taste buds. There are thousands of taste receptors on your tongue that are continually being destroyed and replaced. Staying hydrated will allow those taste-detecting cells to be clean and ready to work for you.
Provides Fluoride
If you are drinking St. Petersburg tap water (without a filter), you are getting a very beneficial and money saving mineral. Fluoride strengthens teeth and is proven to prevent decay. “The entire community benefits from water fluoridation regardless of a person’s age, income, level of education or ability to get dental care. A concentration of 0.7 ppm of fluoride can reduce the amount of cavities in children’s baby teeth by as much as 60% and reduce tooth decay in adults by nearly 35%.”