Kissing Promotes Good Dental Health

If you don't floss like we advise, at least take this piece of advice from the Academy of General Dentistry - kissing is linked to the prevention of tooth decay. Kissing stimulates saliva, which helps reduce the incidence of cavities.

"Kissing is nature's cleansing process," says Heidi Hausauer, a dentist and spokeswoman for the academy. "Saliva washes out the mouth and helps remove the cavity-causing food particles that accumulate after meals."

If you have no one to kiss, try sugar-free gum. It's not quite as fun, but still very effective in producing saliva.

Other Saliva Facts

Saliva levels are higher when you are standing or lying down than when sitting.
Saliva rates are higher in winter than in summer and higher in the morning than in the afternoon.
The mineral ions in saliva help "re-mineralize" early lesions in tooth enamel.
Sugar, salt, butter and acidic foods produce the highest saliva flow.
Anxiety levels and thoughts of food affect saliva flow.