Dry Mouth

When there is an inadequate flow of saliva in your mouth, the mouth feels dry and irritated. Occasionally, infection occurs in a dry mouth environment. Tooth decay, bad breath, loose dentures if present, and gum disease are also more prevalent when there is inadequate saliva present. There are many situations that cause dry mouth. Taking many different medications is the most common cause of dry mouth.

Causes:

• Many medications affect saliva flow: acne, antihistamines, antidepressants and anti anxiety, allergy, pain medications, hypertension (diuretics), nausea and diarrhea, just to name a few.
• Menopause
• Strokes
• Snoring
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Tobacco and alcohol use

What can you do about your dry mouth?

Many brands of artificial saliva are available in pharmacies. Biotene is the brand we recommend. These solutions contain most of the constituents of real saliva. However, they do not last for more than several minutes. Many dry-mouth patients carry a small pocket/purse-sized container of artificial saliva to be used frequently throughout the day. Whenever possible, sipping water is useful as a preventive action. Acidic or sugary drinks or mints of any type are not recommended. Medications are available to increase saliva flow, but unfortunately, they increase all bodily fluid secretion and have some side effects. Ask us about these medications.

Although frustrating for you, dry mouth is controllable.