Saliva is essential to keep your mouth and body healthy, it:

• Helps break down food and makes it easier to swallow
• Controls the balance of bacteria in your mouth
• Fights germs and prevents bad breath
• Helps you taste food
• Protects the enamel on your teeth and prevents tooth decay
• Aids the digestion of your food before it reaches your stomach
• Lubricates the mouth making it easier to speak
• Helps keep dentures secure in the mouth

A reduced saliva flow can result in:

• Constant feeling of thirst and the urge/need to drink continuously
• Bleeding gums and dry cracked lips, can be painful and make it difficult to talk, eat and impossible to wear lipstick
• Increased sensitivity when chewing or swallowing
• Bad breath
• Stringy saliva that you can’t swallow
• Sensation of stickiness
• Dry throat and overall oral soreness