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Kissing and Cavities

Ah yes….it’s Valentine’s day…. And what better time than talk about the health pros and cons of ….kissing! Could a kiss be hazardous to your health? Could it actually be beneficial? Not to ruin the whole experience for you, but have you ever considered that when you’re kissing, you’re sharing what’s in the other person’s mouth…namely, bacteria. And if your loved one of the moment isn’t practicing good dental hygiene…the downfall of his or her practices could be passed right down…to you.

So what makes a good kiss? "Soft lips, slow lips," says Ester. And, the worst kiss? "Kissing a girl after she pukes can be a bad experience but usually I am the one doing the puking," recalls Ian. Things you don’t want in someone’s mouth when your kissing. But you can’t avoid what’s in everyone’s mouth—saliva, and bacteria.

Now, no one wants a sloppy kiss, but saliva can be good for the kissee…so to speak. Dr. Jacqueline Fulop-Goodling, a dentist, says, "The new research shows that actually kissing can be good, kissing actually increases salivary flow, and increasing salivary flow, or saliva in your mouth decreases or neutralizing the bacteria in your mouth, so if you do have a lot of acid or bacteria in your mouth that break down and cause decay, an increase in saliva would be good, like chewing gum is wonderful and research shows that chewing gum also increases salivary flow."

 Hey, what about combining the two? Page recalls, "I had a boyfriend who use to chew my gum, so we would kiss and then he would chew my gum, is that gross? Its gross right?" Yeah, maybe not a good idea. And worse, is kissing that would be harmful to you--not a kiss of death per se--but a kiss of cavities. "When you are kissing with someone who does have a lot of cavities because the bacteria that causes bacteria can be transferred from one person to another is not good, you know how nutritionist always say that you are what you eat, well I guess you catch what you kiss," says Dr. Fulop-Goodling.

And dr. Fulop-Goodling says there’s other bacteria that causes gum disease, also transferred from one patient to another during a kiss. "So as long as there, your partner is healthy and has very minimal cavities, and takes care of themselves and brushed their teeth and flosses then it is ok, and smooches with them or kissing with them increases salivary flow so it decreases your changes of overall getting cavities," Dr. Fulop-Goodling states.

So caveat kisser: make sure the person with whom you’re smooching has dental hygiene on his or her mind--along with that loving feeling--like Donald, who says he just had his best kiss ever! "Just about a half hour ago with my wife, because she is beautiful look at her," says Donald. Dr. Fulop-Goodling also says have that Valentine’s day chocolate, but afterward, brush your teeth. And if you can’t, then as a substitute, kiss, because it will increase the salivary flow and remove the sugar from the mouth that can promote cavities.

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