Dry Mouth Treatment

Dryness of the mouth, also known as xerostomia, is a condition which affects almost a third of the adult population in America. Xerostomia occurs when the salivary glands produce less than the normal amount of saliva. Due to this condition, a person becomes susceptible to other diseases such as gum disease, halitosis and sometimes even tooth decay. Here are the symptoms and causes, followed by the dry mouth treatment methods that help in overcoming this condition.

Symptoms

Symptoms of xerostomia or dry mouth include, increased thirst, pain in the mouth and the tongue, redness on the tongue accompanied by mouth ulcers, mouth sores or sores on the lips, difficulty while eating and speaking, hoarse voice, bad breath, yeast infections in the mouth and a decreased sense of taste.

Causes

Habits
Excess consumption of alcohol, tea and coffee, decreases the amount of saliva produced by the salivary glands, thus causing dryness of the mouth. Chewing of tobacco is another habit which leads to a dry mouth.

Diseases
Some diseases such as diabetes, anemia, AIDS, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, can cause dry mouth, even when the patient has consumed lots of water and is no longer thirsty. Diseases that directly affect the salivary glands, may also cause dryness of the mouth.

Medicines
Many medicines and drugs especially pain killers and antidepressants, are known to cause dryness of mouth as a side effect in the person consuming them. Cancer treatments can affect the salivary glands too, resulting in decreased production of saliva and hence causing dryness of the mouth.

Nerve Damage
Damage to the nerves in the salivary glands can cause dryness of mouth due to lesser production of the saliva. Thus, damaged nerves are another reason behind dryness in mouth.

Anxiety
A person can experience a dry mouth if he is going through some sort of stress or anxiety. Prolonged stress leading to depression can also cause this.

Treatment

To decide on any one treatment for dry mouth is not possible, as this condition could be due to a number of reasons. Thus, the first step is to ascertain the condition which has caused it in the first place.

If the dryness is experienced due to consumption of alcohol or chewing of tobacco, the best treatment would be to discontinue these substances with immediate effect. If the dryness is caused by certain diseases, it would involve treating and curing the underlying disease first, which will automatically reduce the dryness of the mouth. If certain medicines and treatments are causing dry mouth, the person should discontinue them and contact his doctor to prescribe him an alternative medicine. Dryness of the mouth caused due to depression, would involve applying various relaxation techniques such as yoga, reiki and breathing exercises. These will reduce the anxiety and also the resultant dry mouth.

Certain remedies, like keeping the mouth moistened at all times, can be used to treat the dryness caused due to any reason. Sipping water or juices at frequent intervals, especially while consuming food helps in preventing a dry mouth. Fluids help in chewing and swallowing the food properly and reduces the symptoms too.

Another remedy is to stimulate the saliva flow by chewing bubble gums, by licking a lemon or by sucking on candies that are sugar less. Eating foods that requite mastication, helps in stimulating the saliva too. Examples of such foods are carrots, celery, apples, meats and breads.There are various drugs available at the pharma stores too, that aid in increasing the saliva flow. Drugs such as Pilocarpine and Cevimeline, decrease the oral dryness in a person by stimulating and increasing the flow of saliva.

Besides the above mentioned methods, maintaining dental health by taking care of oral hygiene is very important too. Brushing teeth twice a day, regular flossing and using a mouth wash before sleeping, helps in preventing dryness of the mouth.