Are you tired of getting gleeked on while you’re treating a patient? Did you ever want to fight back with something other than the air/water syringe?
For those not clear with the term, this 30 second video is a great example of a controlled gleek:
Fortunately for dental professionals, gleek saliva is essentially sterile when it sprays straight out of the submandibular gland. That doesn’t mean you should shoot back at your patients though – heavens no! we would never suggest such a thing – when they gleek onto your loupes while you’re fighting their tongue with a mouth mirror.
But what about after hours when you don’t have to act professionally? As a wise resource for all things oral, you should be knowledgeable about proper gleeking form. And if you practice these techniques, you’ll soon be able to impress just about everyone under the age of fifteen.
Step One: Concentrating the Saliva
Yawn a couple of times to stimulate saliva production under your tongue. Another way to try and build pressure is to rub the tip or side of your tongue along the sharp cusp tips of your lower teeth. Or you can always try a little something sour in your mouth as a last resort.
Step Two: Visualization
Don’t imagine yourself gleeking, silly! Just get in front of a mirror to see if you’re having any luck.
Step Three: Gleek Technique
Since everyone’s made differently, you’ll need to experiment with these methods to see which one elicits the best response from your little squirt machine.
1. Stick out your mandible as far as you can and press your tongue HARD on the roof of your mouth just behind your central incisors.
2. As you’re flexing your tongue, push your lower jaw out, bring it back and down, breathe in slightly, and bring it hard against the palate. A thin stream will probably come out.
3. Try sucking air under your tongue first before flexing and pressing the roof of your mouth.
It may take you a while to train your submandibular gland to fire at will, so don’t give up. But if you do give up, remember the adage that says: those who cannot do, teach.
And then share your gleekology with the world! 