Perhaps you don’t know how important saliva is for your dental health, but let’s look at its role: it protects the teeth, inhibits bacterial growth, and even helps digest food! Saliva plays a crucial role in the health of our teeth. When you have a dry mouth, bacteria can take over, plaque and tooth decay are more likely, and you can have chronic bad breath. What are the causes chronic dry mouth, what are the symptoms, and what can you do to find relief?
Causes
If you experience chronic dry mouth, there could be several culprits behind it. One of these is medication. Depending on which medications you’re taking, many of them can be responsible for causing a lack of saliva production. These include psychiatric meds as well as hypertension or even incontinence medications. If you suspect one of your medications (or several) are causing your dry mouth, talk with your doctor about what you can do. Smoking can also cause dry mouth, as can being dehydrated. Many people don’t drink enough water. Aim to get at least five or six glasses a day, more if it’s warm outside and you’re active!
Symptoms
Symptoms of chronic dry mouth include feeling thirsty often, having dry lips or even having sores in your mouth. You may also experience a sticky feeling in your mouth, dry throat, a red tongue, bad breath, and even problems swallowing. While some of these symptoms may seem minor, others—such as trouble swallowing and sores in the mouth—can become bigger problems. And no one likes having bad breath! If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms chronically, you could have chronic dry mouth. It’s time to visit your doctor as well as your dentist to see what you can do for your dry mouth.
Finding Relief
One of the easiest things you can do for instant relief is to begin drinking more water. Carry a bottle with you and sip throughout the day. To address your chronic dry mouth, visit your doctor if you suspect the cause is medication. There might be a different medication you can try or perhaps a different dose. There are also medications and rinses that can help your body produce more saliva. Other simple steps you can take are to add a vaporizer to your bedroom, minimize the amount of caffeine or alcohol you consume (both act as dehydrators), and avoid foods that are corrosive to your teeth to prevent further damage.
While having a dry mouth may not seem like a big issue, consider that having a chronic dry mouth can wreak havoc on your teeth. Saliva is meant to nourish our teeth, balance our good and bad bacteria, and prevent plaque from forming. When you have minimal saliva present, your teeth are more at risk for problems that wouldn’t normally develop without the presence of a dry mouth. It’s vital to talk with your dentist to see what you can do to treat your dry mouth before it damages your smile!
