Saliva is a clear liquid made by several glands in your mouth area.

Saliva is an important part of a healthy body. It is mostly made of water. But saliva also contains important substances that your body needs to digest food and keep your teeth strong.

Saliva is important because it:

Keeps your mouth moist and comfortable

Helps you chew, taste, and swallow

Fights germs in your mouth and prevents bad breath

Has proteins and minerals that protect tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay and gum disease

Helps keep dentures securely in place

You make saliva when you chew. The harder you chew, the more saliva you make. Sucking on a hard candy or cough drop helps you make saliva, too.

The glands that make saliva are called salivary glands. The salivary glands sit inside each cheek, at the bottom of your mouth, and near your front teeth by the jaw bone.

There are six major salivary glands and hundreds of minor ones. Saliva moves through tubes called salivary ducts.

Normally, the body makes up to 2 to 4 pints of saliva a day. Usually, the body makes the most saliva in the late afternoon. It makes the least amount at night.

But everyone is different. What doctors consider to be a normal amount of saliva varies quite a bit. That makes diagnosing saliva problems a bit of a challenge.