When it comes to oral health, men and women have differences in their salivary pH levels — women’s saliva tends to be more acidic — but for decades, dental advice ignored these differences, and still do.
It was a 1950s-era study that observed the pH level of dental students consistently hovered around a pH of 7 and was more or less neutral. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that researchers documented lower resting and stimulated salivary secretion rates and composition in women1. Then more than three decades later, a National Library of Medicine paper confirmed that women have statistically lower baseline and stimulated pH values of saliva2.
Hormonal changes such as menstruation and pregnancy are two of several factors that can cause a the acidity level of a woman’s saliva to increase. But despite knowing these differences, much of the oral health advice offered fail to acknowledge a difference.
Saliva is the Mouth’s Superpower
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. That’s because no matter how thoroughly or how often she cleans her teeth, if the environment in her mouth is too acidic, enamel corrosion and gum line deterioration will continue.
But why does saliva acidity matter? Neutral saliva creates a comfortable environment for your teeth and gums that prevents plaque build-up and staves off cavities, gum recession, and tooth sensitivity. 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.
When you eat or drink, your teeth are bathed in an acidic environment. Healthy saliva is the superhero that washes and restores the environment inside your mouth to a healthy and neutral state.
Periods, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause all impact a woman’s salivary acidity.
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, saliva neutralization minimizes the negative impact. 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 pH neutralizing 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
Maintaining Good Oral Health
Even though men do not experience the same issues associated with fluctuating acidity due to their hormones, they 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.
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.
