How to cope with dry mouth
Dry mouth means you do not have enough saliva to keep it moist. All, once we have a dry mouth, especially if you’re nervous, upset or under stress. However, if you have a dry mouth most of the time may indicate the existence of another more serious medical condition. Saliva helps digest food, protects teeth from decay, prevents infection by controlling the population of bacteria in the mouth and facilitates chewing and swallowing.
There are several reasons why the salivary glands might not function properly.
-Side effects of some medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, analgesics, diuretics and medications for high blood pressure and depression.
- There are diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, the HIV virus and Sjögren syndrome affecting the salivary glands and can cause dry mouth.
- X-ray therapy: loss of saliva can be total or partial, permanent or temporary
- Chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer can make saliva thicker, causing dry mouth.
- Menopause: Changes in hormone levels affect the salivary glands.
The symptoms of dry mouth include:
- Feeling dry and pasty mouth
- Swallowing Difficulties
- Burning sensation on the tongue
- Chapped Lips
- Wounds
- Frequent bad breath
The only way to cure dry mouth is to treat the causes. If the cause of dryness can not be removed, the moisture of the mouth may be recovered in different ways. Your dentist may recommend mouth moisturizers use as a substitute for saliva. Mouthwashes specially formulated to provide relief of dry mouth.
Also, consider these suggestions:
- Take frequent water or sugarless drinks
- Avoid drinks like coffee, tea or soft drinks can lead to dry
- Chew sugarless gum or sugarless hard candy to stimulate saliva flow
- Be aware that spicy or salty foods can cause dry mouth pain