If your mouth is always dry, you could be experiencing something besides need a drink of water. You could have dry mouth!
“Is your mouth dry?” While this is a question that is usually taken to mean “are you thirsty” it could actually make something else. So what is dry mouth and how can you take care of it? Well, let’s take a look!
What is Dry Mouth?
Dry mouth is the absence of the saliva that moistens and cleanses your mouth and digests food. When there is ab absence of saliva, your mouth will feel dry and uncomfortable. But there are several different things that could be causing your dry mouth and fortunately several different things that can be done to take care of it.
Symptoms
If you have dry mouth, you may be experiencing several things. You may feel a stickiness and dry feeling in your mouth, have a frequent thirst, sores in your mouth or split skin on the corners of your mouth, and cracked lips. You may also have a dry throat, burning or tingling sensation in the mouth and on the tongue, a dry tongue that is red and raw, problems speaking or trouble tasting, chewing, and swallow. It may also accompany a bad breath and a sore throat or hoarseness as well as dry nasal passages.
Causes of Dry Mouth
There are several different causes of dry mouth such as medications, diseases or infections, medical treatments, nerve damage, dehydration, surgical removal of salivary glands, and even your lifestyle. Dry mouth is a very common side effect of many prescription and nonprescription drugs. These medications include drugs to treat depression, anxiety, allergies, pain, colds, acne, epilepsy, diarrhea, nausea, psychotic disorders, asthma, and Parkinson’s disease. Another cause of dry mouth is diseases and infections. These conditions include HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, stroke, mumps, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, and anemia. Medical treatments like radiation and chemotherapy can also cause it. If you have suffered an injury to the head or neck, or had surgery to remove your salivary glands, you may experience dry mouth. Dehydration can be cause by illnesses or conditions like fever, excessive sweating, vomiting, blood loss, diarrhea, and burns. If you are a smoker or use chewing tobacco, these products can contribute to dry mouth.
Treatments
The first step in treating any problem is to find the cause, if you suspect this dry mouth is the cause of a medication, as your primary care physician for another medicine without this side effect. If your dry mouth could be caused by tobacco use, find a program in your area to help you quit. If you are undergoing special treatments or need immediate relief from dry mouth, there are some things you can do to help. Suck on sugar-free candy or chew sugar-free gum, drink plenty of water, and breathe through your nose instead of your mouth as much as possible. You can also change to fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash or an over-the-counter artificial saliva substitute. Another thing you can do it to use a vaporizer in your home, specifically in the bedroom. This machine will add moisture into the air, helping to moisten your mouth and airways.
Dry mouth can cause tooth decay as well as other dental problems. To speak with your Annapolis Dental Care dentist about your dry mouth, call us today!
Emergency Dental Care with Annapolis Dental Care
If you want to schedule your next visit, please contact Annapolis Family Dental Care by calling (410) 267-0766 or visit AnnapolisDentalCare.com today! We can give you more information, or schedule your appointment. Our diligent knowledge of all dental treatments and extensive experience in all fields of dentistry, ensure Annapolis Dental is best suited to care for your oral health. You can also follow Annapolis Dental Care on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.