Vol,4 Habits to boost saliva and Wakka toothbrush
Mr. Tanaka :
Learning the transmission risk of the novel coronavirus from the gums, I wonder about what toothbrush is best.
Is a toothbrush with tapered bristles better to clean plaque and gums compared to flat tip brush?
What is your opinion?
Pr. Tsukinoki :
As you know, there is a space in between the teeth and the gums. In normal conditions, around 1 mm of space exists.
Bacteria gets trapped in these spaces and it starts causes problems.
In order to prevent periodontal disease, brushing the spaces between the teeth and gums is actually more important than brushing your teeth.
Unless you clean there, the periodontal disease will never get better.
So, as you pointed out, the size of bristle tip is a critical part of clean the spaces between the teeth.
The tapered bristles can clean these pockets better than a flat tip. But if the periodontal pockets are too deep, even a slim tip cannot reach in well.
In that case, press the brush by stirring inside the periodontal pocket to make it easier to scrape out the bacteria.
In this regard, how much the toothbrush can clean away the bacteria is important. I would say the slimmer tip is a more effective shape to reach into the periodontal pockets and clean out periodontal disease.
Mr. Tanaka :
Thank you very much.
I see that saliva is associated with the prevention of the novel coronavirus infection and progression, in addition to lifestyle diseases.
So, I would like to know how to strengthen the saliva action.
Can we do anything in our daily life to get increase saliva action?
For example, how about a small massage or something like that?
Pr. Tsukinoki :
Well, as I said before, saliva contains water and other substances.
To increase the volume of saliva, basically water, stimulating the salivary gland by a massage, like you suggested, is very effective.
Since saliva originally comes from blood, water intake is important.
Dehydration can make the secretion of saliva difficult, so please keep in mind to need to drink enough water daily.
Saliva can increase with a massage on the salivary gland too.
And, different kinds of health food and supplement tablets with high antioxidants are available now.
These can be very effective in increasing the amount of saliva.
Mr. Tanaka :
Thank you very much.
When we search for saliva massage on the internet, we can see so many different methods it’s easy to get confused over which one may be best.
It may be diffuclt for regular people. What is your recommended method?
Would you show us?
Pr. Tsukinoki :
Yes, it is very easy.
Salivary glands are organs that provides saliva to the mouth. Three major salivary glands are located in different parts of body. First, there is a parotid gland right next to the ears, right here.
And there is a sublingual gland under the tongue. And the third one is a submandibular gland inside the jaw.
Stimulating these spots is important. But the easiest one to recognize for the secretion of saliva is the parotid gland.
A gentle massage just in front of the ears with a circular movement like this can increase the secretion of saliva.
I most often suggest this massage around the parotid gland because it’s easy to feel it.
Mr. Tanaka :
Thank you very much.
I would like to try that as soon as I get home.
Are there also any face massages?
Pr. Tsukinoki :
A facial massage does not directly stimulate the salivary glands, but massaging the facial muscles nearby is important.
Muscles around mouth and tongue can stimulate the salivary glands indirectly.
Funny face training, lip training, or tongue training, all of these can be helpful as well.
Mr. Tanaka :
Thank you very much, I understand.
I believe massage can facilitate blood circulation and warm up body, too.
Does warming up the gums help with the secretion of saliva?
Pr. Tsukinoki :
No direct evidence of any association between warming up the gums so as to increase the amount of saliva at this point. But I think keeping warm is important in general, because it increases the blood flow.
Especially the parotid gland is influenced by cold temperatures. The blood around the gland gets contracted. From that perspective, warming up with massage makes sense.
I think it is an effective way.
But there is not yet a study proving that warming up the gums can increase the blood flow of salivary glands.
Mr. Tanaka :
I see. Thank you.
The Wakka toothbrush tested at your Kanagawa Dental Univerisity, was made with ore in its bristle.
This ore has been proven to have a far infrared radiation effect. We will have to conduct future research on what affects this will have when the ore is mixed in the bristle.
But if a positive effect is clearly demonstrated in the future, we think this add value to the toothbrush; whether or not it increasing saliva action.
What do you think about this?
Pr. Tsukinoki :
I think that is a very interesting point.
Massaging certain areas of the mouth with the black silica brush and its far infrared radiation effect will likely result in the creation of heat.
Once the gums are warmed up, the blood flow will increase.
The older we get, the less our blood circulates in the mouth, gums and around the teeth.
In that way, it is helpful to massage the gums, facilitating blood flow, and assisting in the anti-aging process.
If that effect is confirmed, this toothbrush will certainly add another valuable aspect.
I believe this could be a very promising product with its cleaning effect, massage actions on the gum, and far infrared radiation effect. I would recommend further research.
Mr. Tanaka :
Thank you very much.
We are hoping to discover more new effects with this Wakka toothbrush bristle, as you said.
We would appreciate your cooperation in the future too. This was the last question from me.
Mr. Hamada :
Pr. Tsukinoki, Thank you very much for this opportunity
We have learned a lot.
I understand about the importance of saliva and the important role saliva plays in oral care and well-being.
In order to develop more products for the Mizuha brand and provide services to promote the saliva action, we will make an effort to go forward with this project.
We will appreciate your advice and cooperation.
Pr. Tsukinoki :
Thank you very much.
Brushing the teeth well and keeping the mouth clean helps all of the beneficial substances in the mouth work better.
Maintaining a healthy mouth condition with good brushing habits is the best way to increase saliva power.
I hope all people try to do so.
Thank you very much for today!
