DO YOU VALUE YOUR SALIVA?

I have a bad habit which subconsciously I got used to, making it a habit-that-is-bad anyway. I easily get irritated due to my sensitive nature. The habit in question is spitting even without being pregnant when something turns me off. I think I know what’s running through your mind but trust me it’s not that bad. I had been working on it but took it more seriously just after reading what I am about to share.

The last “major” spitting encounter I had was on an outing with my mum. She called my name and said, ”This one you keep spitting like this, you don’t know you are doing yourself more harm than good with all the nutrients you are wasting from your body”. I gave her a look filled with surprises. I believe nearly everything she says because of her wealth of experience, exposure and job but was not expecting that so to buttress her point, I did my findings. It was good enough that she did not even think towards pregnancy as most people especially mothers would have thought of.

I know saliva plays a vital role in the mouth with digestion and that there is a gland that produces saliva called the salivary gland but I obviously underestimated it. Here are a few things I discovered which made my saliva earn my respect more:

 -----Saliva comprises 99.5% water. It also has electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells which can be used for DNA extraction;

           -----  Producing little or no saliva can lead to a serious condition called xerostomia which obviously results from dryness of the mouth;

       ----- Research shows that we make up to 2-4 pints of saliva per day varying from the most in the afternoons and least at night;

      ----- Having a wet or salivary mouth prevents some certain level of bad breath and considerable mouth/tooth diseases are avoided; 

      -----The saliva has minerals that protects the mouth and prevents diseases as mentioned above;

      ----- The more you chew or keep your mouth busy the more it helps the gland produce more saliva;

          -----  As initially stated, it helps with chewing and absorbing content(s) in the mouth which aids proper digestion

IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALSO NOTE THAT....

·         * The salivary gland is positioned inside each side of the cheek, at the bottom of the mouth, and near the front teeth by the jaw bone;

·         *  ”There are 6 major salivary glands and hundreds of minor ones”. Saliva moves through tubes called salivary ducts. 

      Many people may have forgotten these facts after the basic sciences learnt in school. Above all it has helped me curb the habit. I do not want to risk wasting some important minerals hidden in my saliva. DO YOU?

THANK YOU FOR READING. I TRUST YOU FOUND IT INFORMATIVE AND HELPFUL. DO NOT FORGET TO READ AGAIN, SHARE AND COMMENT. THANK YOU!!!!

IMAGE/RESEARCH CREDIT: GOOGLE