How Much Do You Know About Spit?

Glands in your mouth are busy oozing spit all day long. They're on the inside of each check, on the bottom of your mouth, and under your jaw. Want to get an idea of how much saliva you make? Two to 4 pints is the same as spitting into 4 to 8 cups a day and filling them to the top.

Without the slippery stuff in your mouth, you couldn’t enjoy the sweetness of strawberries or the tartness of lemonade.  A dry tongue can’t taste food. It needs saliva. 

The pacifier has fallen and there’s no sink in sight. What do you do? If you’re like some parents, you stick it in your mouth to wipe it clean. But the American Dental Association says it's not a good idea. Adult saliva may have bacteria that cause cavities. You can pass them to your little one when they take the pacifier back.

Saliva does a lot of things. It makes food easier to swallow and helps you digest it. It also rinses your teeth and cleans your mouth. Keep brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash, though. Spit isn’t enough to keep your mouth healthy.

More than 99% of saliva is water. The rest of it is minerals, proteins, and other things that help your mouth fight off infections and stay healthy.

Have you ever woken up in a pool of drool? Relax, it’s pretty common. Here’s why: Saliva keeps your mouth wet, but you also swallow a lot. The spit goes into your stomach. At night, the part of your body that controls swallowing slows down a little. Your spittle can end up on your pillow.

Want to do something good for your pearly whites? Try sugarless gum. When you chew, your mouth makes more saliva. That helps wash away acids that can cause decay and other problems with your teeth.

Keep a lid on your saliva if you’re bashful about your age. Scientists at UCLA found out how old people were using only saliva samples. Their work could help police catch bad guys. For instance, detectives could find out how old a crook is if they left spit on a coffee cup.  

Your mouth isn’t as clean as you may think. It has lots of bacteria that aren’t on your skin. If you cut your finger on a kitchen knife, use water to clean it. You could get an infection if bacteria from your mouth gets into a cut.

Does your mouth feel like a cotton ball all the time? You may not make enough saliva. Dry mouth can be painful and can cause bad breath.

Artificial saliva, which you can get at the pharmacy, can help. It won’t cure your dry mouth, but it might make you feel better.

Bat saliva has a protein that stops blood from clotting as bats feed on other creatures. Scientists have looked at whether a drug based on that protein would work as a clot-buster for people who’ve had strokes.

People with Parkinson’s disease, ALS, or other conditions can have problems with drooling. Doctors sometimes inject Botox into their salivary glands. The effects can last 2 to 3 months.