Im going to call it - Kissing is great for your teeth! 

So this Valentines Day Weekend, kiss more, kiss often and get great dental health benefits while you’re at it!

Are you serious? - Yes!

Kissing, particularly passionate kissing- (yeah that’s what I just said), promotes the production of saliva, which in turns keeps your mouth, teeth and gums healthy! This stimulated saliva, neutralises the acid attack from the work of cariogenic bacteria, protecting dental enamel! The extra saliva washes bacteria off the surface of your teeth, flushes away excess food particles and helps protects your teeth from cavities.

We can’t get away from the fact that you are swapping oral bacteria with each other, but some organisms in your saliva can actually help decrease bacterial growth, as noted by the British Society of Immunology. Such organisms can stop the growth of bacteria responsible for oral thrush, or some streptococcus bacteria which play a role in tooth decay!

Kissing can actually boost your immune system, with the healthy bacterial exposure actually strengthening your body’s resistance to infectious organisms! 80% of your salivary bacteria is common to everyone, only 20% is unique to you, thus kissing stimulates your body to create antibodies, offering future help fighting against harmful infections.

OK, so while I have just extolled the benefits and you will be rushing to PDA with your loved ones, remember you can catch or pass on infection when kissing, so a few key tips!

1. It’s not ideal to kiss when you or the other person is sick or has an active coldsore around their lips or mouth! If you do, you risk catching the same condition!

2. Totally romantic and so beneficial, while you both maintain good oral hygiene! You owe it to your partner!

A strict brushing and flossing regime with help keep gum disease at bay, whereas, damaging oral bacteria can be shared during kissing which could go on to impact your partner’s oral health and bacterial microbiome, potentially allowing the transmission of bacterial species, which are significant players in gum disease. Bacteria  such as treponema denticola and porphyromonas gingivalis, can be passed via swapping saliva, disrupting your healthy oral microbiome, if not paired with excellent oral hygiene, to eradicate.

At Paste Dental Belfast we tell our patients to enjoy the process, let serotonin and oxytocin flood your body, enjoy a PDA with your loved one on a street corner, feeling safe, secure and knowing that they got your back, but ensure your oral hygiene is on point so that the passion continues, past this Valentines Day Weekend!