30 Jan How to Neutralize Acid Attacks and Balance the pH of Your Saliva
When the pH of your mouth is too acidic, it can cause noticeable symptoms like bad breath, a metallic or sour taste, and dry mouth. Some people also experience a burning sensation, which can be disruptive to normal activities like talking, eating, and drinking. But the biggest problem is that an acidic environment leads to plaque buildup, cavities, and gum disease.
Here’s what you can do to balance the pH of your saliva and neutralize the acid attacks that harm your oral health.
Why Your Saliva Is So Important
Saliva plays an important role in keeping your teeth healthy and strong. Besides helping you swallow, it also helps neutralize acid attacks from plaque. The more saliva your mouth makes, the sooner a neutral pH balance can be restored.
Your saliva also contains vital minerals that help strengthen and rebuild your tooth enamel. By tamping down the acids produced by the naturally occurring bacteria in your mouth, saliva keeps your tooth enamel intact.
However, if you’re feeling stressed, reaching for sugary snacks or drinks more than usual, or experiencing dry mouth, your saliva may become more acidic. Health conditions like acid reflux, GERD, and bulimia can also make your mouth’s pH more acidic.
Persistently high saliva pH could be a sign of more serious concerns, so if these symptoms linger, it’s best to visit your dentist for a thorough oral exam, diagnosis, and treatment options.
How to Restore a Neutral pH Balance in Your Mouth
Fortunately, there are many practical things you can do to balance the pH of your saliva.
Staying hydrated is number one! Avoiding snacks and drinks that are highly acidic or have a high sugar content will prevent most acid attacks. And stimulating saliva production with sugar-free gum or alkaline snacks can also help.
Five ways to neutralize an acidic mouth:
- Drink more water—at least enough to stay hydrated. You might need to drink more than the recommended 32oz a day here in Arizona’s dry climate. If you don’t like to drink plain water, try making an herbal tea that you can enjoy iced or hot.
- Space out your meals. Try to avoid grazing or sipping on coffee and soda all day. Every time you eat or drink something sweet, it can trigger an acid attack. So if you’re sipping iced lattes all morning, the acid levels in your mouth are getting stronger and stronger.
- Rinse your mouth with water after meals or snacks. This goes for coffee breaks, too! You can also try chewing some sugar-free gum with xylitol after meals or coffee, to help neutralize your saliva.
- When you do need a snack, choose low-pH (alkaline) foods like apples and melons, plain yogurt or cheddar cheese.
- Good sleep hygiene also helps; so can physical exercise and stress management techniques. Not only will these habits support good oral health, they will also help improve your health in general, both mentally and physically.
Holistic Dentist in Prescott
If you frequently experience a sour taste in your mouth or have trouble swallowing, it could mean that your saliva is too acidic. But there are many ways you can neutralize those acids before they start to irritate your gums and damage your tooth enamel.
At Prescott Dentistry, prevention is our first priority. We want to help you find natural, effective ways to improve your oral health. And our dedication to holistic dental care means that your comfort and priorities always come first. Contact us today to make an appointment, and find out what makes us different from your average dentist.
Photo by Ozkan Guner on Unsplash, used with permission under the creative commons license for commercial use 12/20/2025.