It can be overwhelming how much you have to do to maintain the health of your body. However, it can be a great way to avoid health problems that could occur with time. One way that you can maintain your health is through your pH levels.
Saliva with a too acidic pH can cause enamel to break down in your teeth, resulting in cavities, tooth sensitivity, and yellow teeth. Learn how pH level testing can help you better judge your oral health and discover tips on normalizing your saliva’s pH levels.
Are you interested in how holistic dentistry can transform your oral health? Contact Health Centered Dentistry today to learn more!
What Are pH Levels?
pH levels are a way to identify the acidity of something. People have pH levels in their blood to help maintain a healthy balance of acid and alkaline. This helps the body maintain function and healthy well-being.
An important property of blood is its degree of acidity or alkalinity. This acidity is measured on a pH scale ranging from 0 (strongly acidic) to 14 (strongly basic alkaline). A pH of 7.0 is the neutral middle of the scale, with a healthy body around 7.35-7.45.
Saliva has a normal pH range of 6.2-7.6, with 6.7 being the average pH. This range can alter depending on your foods or drinks, so eating more acidic foods can impact your oral health.
Your saliva helps maintain a healthy pH in your mouth to help eliminate carbohydrates that could be metabolized by bacteria and remove acids produced by bacteria. It also neutralizes the acidity from drinks and foods due to the buffering activity of saliva.
A pH below the normal range is acidic and can create an environment of disease and increased cavities risk. A pH above 7.0 is alkaline, which creates better overall health. If you’re interested in your pH level, you can take a simple saliva test with Health Centered Dentistry to see if your pH levels compromise your oral health.
How Does Your pH Levels Affect Your Health?
Your pH levels reflect the acidity in your body, and how your health is affected. If your pH levels are too low or too high, this can damage your oral health and possibly set you up for other health problems.
Acidic saliva caused by a lower pH level can significantly damage your smile. When you have acidic saliva, your teeth can suffer from acid erosion, leading to enamel loss, tooth decay, and cavities. If your enamel becomes too thin, the dentin is exposed, leading to discomfort when consuming hot, cold, or sugary drinks.
However, having a high alkaline pH level in your mouth can increase bone density and enamel strength. If your mouth pH is neutral at a seven or higher, and you eat sugary or acidic foods, any dental plaque in your mouth will not shift to cavity-causing bacteria because of the healthy pH.
If your pH levels are 7.5 or higher, you can help remineralize the enamel and fight against cavity-causing bacteria. Limiting the acidic foods in your diet and eating more alkaline foods can increase saliva pH and improve the overall health of your mouth.
With an unbalanced pH level, you can be at risk for poor oral health, which can lead to sickness. Some indicators that your saliva pH level is out of balance can include:
- Persistent bad breath
- Sensitivity to hot or cold food or beverages
- Tooth cavities
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you should consult your holistic dentist to see what treatment option is best for you.
Are you interested in getting the best dental care in Anchorage? Schedule an appointment with Health Centered Dentistry today to get started!
How to Maintain a Healthy Saliva pH Level
Your foods and drinks can heavily affect your body in many ways, including your oral health. To create an alkaline pH environment in your mouth, you’ll need to eat an alkaline-based diet. Some ways to follow this diet to eliminate acidic saliva and support optimal oral health include the following.
1. Eating More Vegetables
Eating more vegetables is great for your dental and overall health. Many vegetables are alkaline, which will help neutralize the pH in your saliva and the rest of your body. Some choices include spinach, green beans, red bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and asparagus.
2. Adding Seeds and Beans
Adding seeds and beans into your diet can be great as they are alkaline and help eliminate acidic saliva. Lima beans, navy beans, soybeans, and sesame seeds are all great options to add to your diet.
3. Limiting Bread and Sugars
Although we all love sugary foods, they can damage our dental and overall health. Sugary foods, including bread, should be limited to support this diet as carbohydrates take the form of sugar or starches. These will lower your pH levels and lead to enamel erosion.
4. Reducing Your Alcohol, Coffee, and Dairy Intakes
Similar to bread and sugar, many people love having alcohol, coffee, and dairy products. However, these are all acidic, so giving them up can help keep your saliva pH alkaline at a healthy level. If you can’t give these up completely, consider reducing your intake of these goods.
5. Skipping Artificial Sweeteners
Swapping your sugar intake with artificial sweeteners can affect your pH levels. Some goods such as xylitol, beet sugar, or honey are acidic on the pH scale and will lower your levels. Instead, you can try swapping them with other sweeteners such as Stevia to support an alkaline saliva pH level.
6. Avoiding Condiments
Another thing to consider is the condiments that you use in your foods. Mustard and ketchup can be a favorite for hot dogs and burgers, but they are very acidic. Other bad condiments can include mayo or miso. If you use these condiments, consider eating melons, cantaloupe, carrots, or apples afterward to offset the acidity.
How Can Health Centered Dentistry Help Maintain Your pH Levels?
Health Centered Dentistry is a family dentistry in Anchorage, Alaska, focusing on everyone’s integrative, whole-body dental care. The main focus of our care is to promote optimal health through a holistic approach to match your natural Alaskan lifestyle.
No matter the age, we’ll provide services such as regular checkups, cosmetic procedures, restorative treatments, and oral surgery. We also offer holistic services, including safe amalgam removal, ozone therapy, and testing for Vitamin C and pH levels.
When you get care from our professional team, you can learn how to better your overall health through lifestyle changes, such as an alkaline-based diet. We can help you discover the best healthy lifestyle that promotes fantastic oral health. If you are unsure how your pH levels affect your oral health, schedule an appointment with us and get a saliva test to see if you’re doing what you can for your health.
Are you interested in learning how to promote the best version of yourself? Contact Health Centered Dentistry to get professional advice from a holistic dentist today!
