Does your mouth often feel sticky or raw? You may have chronic dry mouth! While it may seem like an annoyance, it’s a genuine threat to your oral health! Dry mouth can lead to long-term dental problems that are painful or embarrassing. Learn what causes dry mouth and the steps you can take to prevent it.
Saliva
Dry mouth happens due to a lack of saliva in your mouth. Saliva a natural cavity fighter that dilutes acids which cause cavities. When you have dry mouth, your lack of saliva can rapidly increase your chance of developing cavities, as well as how quickly they develop.
One easy way to investigate dry mouth problems is by evaluating your saliva. We have a simple five-step test that can identify issues leading to a high rate of cavities or dry mouth issues. Contact us to schedule a visit to get tested!
The Main Causes of Dry Mouth
Dry mouth has several different causes. Regardless of cause, its severity and how likely you are to experience it will be unique to you. If you’re experiencing chronic dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, these are the most likely sources:
Medications
One side-effect of some of the most common medications is dry mouth. While there are hundreds of medications or more that have dry mouth as a side-effect, these are the most likely drugs to cause it:
- SSRIs
- Blood pressure medication
- Decongestants
- Pain Relievers
- Antihistamines
If your dry mouth symptoms happen most frequently after taking these types of medications, speak with your doctor. It may be possible to switch to another similar medication that won’t dry out your mouth.
Infections or Illness
Many illnesses, diseases or infections can lead to dry mouth as well. It’s not just illnesses that impact your oral health that can cause dry mouth, either. Diseases like diabetes commonly lead to dry mouth issues. There are many other illnesses that typically cause dry mouth as well:
- Sjörgen’s Syndrome
- Lichen Planus
- Anxiety
- Anemia
Chronic dry mouth without taking medication could be an indicator of one of these, or many other illnesses. That’s why it’s important to consider dry mouth a serious symptom. While it may just seem inconvenient, it could be a sign of something that needs medical attention.
Dehydration
When it comes to serious conditions, few are as dangerous as dehydration. It can sneak up on your when you don’t expect it, and can be deadly. Most commonly, dehydration happens when you’re sweating excessively – either during physical activity or being in hot climates.
You can also become dehydrated when sick. Losing fluids from vomiting can quickly drain your body of the hydration it needs.
Remember to drink ample amounts of water when working out, being out in the heat, or if you’re ill.
Smoking Can Make Dry Mouth Worse
Are you a smoker? Using tobacco products won’t necessarily cause dry mouth, but it will aggravate it. This will take a mild or unnoticeable case of dry mouth and exacerbate it. Of course, that’s just one of the several side-effects that smoking has on your health. It’s always a benefit to your health to quit smoking.
Risks of Chronic Dry Mouth
Don’t think of dry mouth as an irritating condition. It has real consequences that will affect your long-term dental health.
Gum Disease
Saliva is important to protecting your gums from bacteria and the harmful acids they produce. Without it, your mouth has no natural defense to wash away these harmful particles.
Additionally, saliva helps neutralize the effects of the acidic waste. Not only will waste from bacteria stay on your gums longer, but it will cause greater irritation to your gums. This irritation will lead to inflammation, gum disease and possibly periodontal disease, leading to a loss of bone around your teeth.
Tooth Decay
Similar to your gums, your teeth will be more susceptible to bacteria and acidic waste without saliva to help wash it away. The longer your teeth are exposed, the more your enamel will wear away. This, in turn, leads to a higher risk of decay and increased tooth sensitivity as your teeth lose their natural protection against bacteria.
Infection
Viruses and bacteria rely on having an ideal environment to thrive. Without saliva, your mouth becomes the perfect place for them to live. A normal mouth with healthy saliva production can help fight viruses and keep them at bay. You’re more likely to contract fungal or viral infections until you can treat your dry mouth.
Difficulty Wearing Dentures
It can be a challenge to take care of your dentures. However, using dentures becomes even more difficult with a chronically dry mouth. It can make them more uncomfortable to wear and cause problems with chewing, swallowing or even breathing.
How You Can Reduce Dry Mouth Symptoms
While it’s not always possible to prevent the causes of dry mouth, you can take steps to lessen the symptoms that make it problematic.
Drink More Water
Obviously, increasing your water intake will help you keep your mouth from becoming too dry. You can use almost any liquid to temporarily add moisture to your mouth. However, make sure to avoid alcohol and other desiccants – these will dry your mouth.
Use a Humidifier to Improve Ambient Moisture
Unsurprisingly, breathing in dry areas can contribute to dryer conditions in your mouth. If you live in a dry climate and have chronic dry mouth, you can consider the use of a vaporizer or humidifier to help increase the humidity of your home. This will make the air you breathe better for your mouth and throat, and less likely to dry it out.
Chew Sugar-Free Gum or Candy
Fighting dry mouth often means finding ways to stimulate saliva production. Hard candies or gum are a great way to keep your mouth producing more saliva. Chew or suck on candies and your mouth should naturally begin to produce saliva until you finish.
Remember to only use sugar-free alternatives. Otherwise, you’ll be trading one problem for another. Sugary gum or hard candies with sugar sitting in your mouth will significantly contribute to decay.
Breathe Through Your Nose
Breathing through your mouth pushes moisture out of it and can leave it dry over a short period of time. Simply breathing in and out through your nose can be very effective at minimizing acute dry mouth issues.
Artificial Saliva or Saliva Stimulants Can Help with Excessive Dry Mouth
If you have chronic xerostomia, you can try artificial saliva substitutes or saliva stimulants to help keep your mouth protected from the side-effects of being dry. Artificial saliva replaces your natural saliva with a substitute, which reintroduces moisture to your mouth during temporary dryness. Saliva stimulants, however, help promote natural saliva production.
They come in multiple forms, from sprays to gels that you swish. In many cases, you can find artificial saliva over the counter, but some medications may be available as a prescription.
Experiencing Chronic Dry Mouth? Schedule an Appointment!
The dental professionals at Schmakel Smile Designs can answer your questions and provide a thorough examination to help keep your flawless smile. Make an appointment, or call us at (419) 841-9494.
We are proud to be your dentist in Toledo, near Sylvania. For more information about what we do, contact Schmakel Smile Design:
Phone: (419) 841.9494
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.toledodentistry.com.
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