It gives butterflies in the belly, but not only. The languid kiss, that between lovers, and which lasts several seconds, would also have little -known virtues on … the health of your teeth. A study in progress, very serious and published in Journal of Medical Research intend to demonstrate it.
The French Kiss, better than the dentist?
Thus dentists of the University of Santiago, in Ecuador, claim that their study could offer new strategies to prevent the use of obturations. How? By kissing in full mouth of course! In particular after the consumption of aggressive food for teeth.
“During a kiss (the famous French Kiss), a substantial volume of saliva is exchanged between partners, and it is plausible that this can introduce buffers and bacteria from one individual to another, potentially promoting a faster normalization of pH” indicate the authors.
Kissing, one act to take care of the other
According to them, acidity levels can increase by approximately 25 % after the consumption of sugary drinks, and it takes about 40 minutes to saliva to bring the pH back to normal levels. Kiss could therefore speed up the process.
An effect confirmed for us Dr Jérémy Amzalag, dental surgeon and member of our committee of experts.
“”The kiss, like chewing, stimulates the production of saliva. However, saliva plays a protective role: it helps to restore the balance of pH in the mouth, which becomes more acidic after drinking or eating sweet or acid food. Indeed, bacteria transform sugar into acid, which promotes the appearance of cavities. “
To verify their theory, dentists therefore provide for a pleasant experience: calling on 60 couples aged 18 to 30 to test their work. Offer them a variety of drinks, including cola, fruit juice and alcohol -free beer, then ask them to kiss for 40 seconds timed.
Their saliva will be tested every five minutes to measure the speed with which it returns to normal thanks to the kiss.
A first, but not a remedy
The researchers are enthusiastic. “”Our study is the first to assess whether intimate human interaction can work by transmitting buffer agents by saliva, thus promoting the recovery of the oral ph they say today. “”This would introduce a new behavioral approach to maintaining oral health ” they assure.
An enthusiasm yet moderated by our dentist. “”The protective effect if it exists, still seems exaggerated to me ” he answers. To avoid cavities, good regular dental hygiene seems safer than a love kiss. The good news is that we can also combine both: a fresh breath, and long kisses with his partner. It is even recommended.