What Causes Dry Mouth and How Do You Alleviate It?
Dry mouth (xerostomia) refers to a condition in which your salivary glands don’t produce enough saliva to keep your mouth moist. That can be a serious matter. If dry mouth persists, it increases your risk of developing oral health problems and can impact your overall quality of life. Talk to your trusted team at Afton Dental about dry mouth treatment and symptom management options.
What Are the Causes of Dry Mouth?
Dry mouth can result from dehydration, aging, mouth-breathing, nerve damage, certain medications, cancer therapy, a condition affecting the salivary glands, or some health conditions. Drinking alcohol, smoking, or chewing tobacco can also contribute to dry mouth, as can recreational drug use.
What Are the Symptoms of Dry Mouth?
Patients with dry mouth often experience mouth stickiness, thick and stringy saliva, bad breath (halitosis), a dry or grooved tongue, a sore throat, or a hoarse voice. They may find difficulty chewing, speaking, and swallowing, and may experience a change of taste and smell. Xerostomia can also make wearing dentures uncomfortable.
What Are the Complications of Dry Mouth?
Saliva plays a vital role in maintaining your oral health. It washes away food debris and neutralizes acids produced by bacteria, which helps combat tooth decay and gum disease. It also facilitates chewing and swallowing and enhances your ability to taste.
Decreased saliva production and dry mouth can impact your general health, teeth, and gums, as well as your appetite and food enjoyment. Complications include increased plaque accumulation, tooth decay, gum disease, mouth sores, yeast infection (thrush), split skin at the corners of your mouth, and cracked lips. Difficulty chewing and swallowing can result in poor nutrition, leaving you susceptible to developing a host of health conditions.
How Can You Alleviate the Symptoms of Dry Mouth?
The best thing you can do to alleviate dry mouth symptoms is to stay hydrated by increasing your water intake. Additionally, sucking on hard sugarless candy or chewing sugarless gum stimulates saliva production and provides short-term relief. Consider limiting your caffeine intake and alcohol use, and refrain from smoking because these habits can cause dehydration, aggravating your condition.
Certain medications cause more than 90 percent of dry mouth cases, so talk to your healthcare provider to see if switching drugs will alleviate your symptoms. If you breathe through your mouth in your sleep, seek help because mouth-breathing can aggravate the condition.
Quality Dentistry Near Me
Visit Afton Dental in Concord, NC if your dry mouth persists. We will work with you to identify underlying problems causing your condition and develop a comprehensive dry mouth treatment and management plan. We are here to support your oral health every step of the way. Call us and schedule your appointment today!