When it comes to caring for teeth and overall oral health, men and women are different.
Studies conducted in the 1950s discovered that human saliva hovers around a pH of 7. In other words, neutral. The only problem is that the study was conducted on dental students who, at the time, were predominantly male.
We now know that women’s salivary pH fluctuates with hormonal changes such as menstruation and pregnancy and is, on average, more acidic than men’s.
An Uphill Battle for Women
A woman can follow all the conventional dental advice to a tee and still be plagued with plaque and tartar build-up between professional cleanings. No matter how thoroughly she cleans her teeth, her acidic saliva may be waging war against her enamel and gum line.
But why does the acidity of your saliva matter?
Healthy saliva is essential for preventing plaque build-up and staving off cavities, gum recession, and tooth sensitivity.
After almost any meal or beverage, your teeth are bathed in an acidic environment until your saliva trickles in and restores your mouth to a healthy and neutral state. Not only that, but healthy saliva helps to remineralize your enamel, the protective covering of the tooth, filling in tiny pores that enable tooth sensitivity, cavities, and more.
In short, maintaining healthy, pH-balanced saliva is the foundation of healthy teeth and gums.
Women need to take extra steps during their periods, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause, to keep their salivary pH balanced.
How To Keep Saliva From Becoming Too Acidic
It is important to understand what factors impact saliva and when. Since most food and beverages drag the mouth’s environment into acidic territory, it is important to neutralize your saliva after eating or drinking and minimize snacking. Otherwise, your teeth will be bathed in acid while your teeth become porous, weak, and susceptible to staining, breakage, and cavities.
Here are some options to keep saliva from becoming too acidic:
- Using ACT mouthwash helps to neutralize your mouth and freshen your breath
- Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar in plants and fruit, stimulates the salivary glands and helps bring your mouth to an alkaline state
- Minimize snacking and acidic beverages between meals or at least, pop a xylitol mint or gum afterwards
Dental Issues Affecting men and Women
Even though men do not experience the same issues associated with fluctuating acidity due to their hormones, men do not get off scot-free when it comes to dental problems.
Men, like women, still need to manage acidity in their mouths after eating or drinking.
And many problems affect everyone. For example, men or women who sleep with their mouths open create a dry environment in their mouths, and without the neutralizing saliva to swoop in, the acidity can break down the protective enamel on the teeth. In addition, a dry mouth enables bad bacteria to thrive and eat away at the gums.
Tobacco, dehydration, medication, and stress are other factors contributing to acidic saliva.
Good Oral Health
If you are a woman with good oral hygiene and yet continue to have dental issues, you can restore your teeth and gums to excellent condition by strategically consuming xylitol-containing mints or gum or swishing with a neutralizing mouthwash between meals to keep the acidity level of your mouth in check.
Men and women have different salivary acidity levels and different requirements when it comes to maintaining good oral health. Women need to take extra steps to stabilize the pH levels of their mouth in times of hormone fluctuation and be aware of the frustration that comes with watching the men in your life brushing infrequently, with not a single thread of dental floss in sight, while enjoying healthy teeth and gums, especially in their early years.
