Keeping a high oral pH is one of the biggest factors in preventing cavities and tooth decay.  If you remember from Chemistry class, the pH scale is the scale used to describe the acidity of a substance.  The scale ranges from 1-14.  A pH of 7 is neutral (pH of 1 being strongly acidic and the pH of 14 being strongly alkaline).  A healthy oral pH should be around a 7.0 -7.5.  People with a low oral pH (5.5-6.5) have acidic saliva and are high risk for tooth decay.  At Geneva Family Dentistry, we test each patient’s oral pH during the new patient and recare visits.  While having this information gives us a snapshot of our patient’s oral health, it does not give us the day-to-day total picture.  To get a better idea of the average pH, we recommend that patients test their pH at home at different times during day when they haven’t had anything to eat or drink within 1 hour.  This should be done daily for a few weeks to get an accurate reading of the average oral pH.  We recommend that patients with a continuous low pH evaluate their diet and lifestyle for possible ways to increase their pH (and hence the alkalinity of the body).  Oral Litmus Paper (a pH test) can be purchased at our office or at various online sources, such as:  https://enzymedica.com/products/ph-strips