Off the top of my head, I can describe different types of kisses. Sometimes you touch your cheek to the recipient’s while vocalizing the “mmuah” sound as a form of greeting. There is the playful peck you give someone on the cheek to say “I love you”. There is also the full-blown tongue-tackling deep kiss that says “I want a little bit more” lol…This sensual one… this fluid-exchanging one is the topic for my write up today. It’s International Kissing Day on #DrAmaTalksDentistry!!!
In a good deep kiss, as lips touch and part in synchronous rhythmic motion, saliva is undoubtedly exchanged, tongues interact and teeth are kept far away from all the action. If you want to be kissing freely and comfortably, you and your partner must know one or two interesting facts about these.
Saliva is anything but plain. It has an interesting blend of components that serve different purposes. More commonly known are enzymes like salivary amylase and lipase to aid in digestion. Saliva also contains Immunoglobulins A, G & M , lactoferrins and Lysozymes to fight microbes. Ions like Bicarbonate ions, Calcium ions, Phosphate ions also play their part to control the formation of cavities. Mucus is also present to lubricate food to aid swallowing.
The teeth are shaped differently to suit their function. Whilst the anterior(front) teeth are more knife-edged for cutting, the posterior(back) ones are more table-like, for crushing and grinding. The teeth ought to be cleaned with a medium hardness toothbrush and fluoride containing toothpaste for 2- 3 minutes twice a day. The easiest technique to cleaning teeth is by brushing all exposed surfaces of all the teeth in a circular motion and flossing the region between the teeth to get rid of plaque. Plaque can cause bleeding gum, shaking teeth and bad breath. Plaque even has a role to play in cavity formation. Mouthwash works as an adjunct to brushing and can never replace brushing. Picture this: pouring disinfectant over a dirty plate will not achieve much unless the plate is washed first. Think of mouthwash as a mouth disinfectant of a sort. Biannual visits to your dentist for scaling and polishing will help get rid of calculus (mineralised plaque) which cannot be cleaned by simple brushing.
The tongue is covered by a hairlike covering known as papillae which contain one’s taste buds. If the tongue isn’t cleaned effectively, it has the ability to collect food debris. The debris can comfortably house microbes which may give bad breath. In fact, the presence of secretions as well as food and epithelial debris makes the mouth a favorable habitat for a great variety of bacteria such as S. mutans, S. sanguis, Lactobacilli etc.
Kissing disease also known infectious mononucleosis occurs more commonly in teens and young adults may cause sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and splenic enlargement. A number of other diseases can be spread by kissing including the much-touted Corona virus… So be careful out there in choosing which mouth to kiss.
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