Do You Suffer From Dry Mouth?

Does your mouth feel dry often? Dry mouth, or what is otherwise known as Xerostomia, is the feeling that there is not enough saliva in the mouth and there is a sticky feeling when you open and close your mouth.

Everyone has experienced dry mouth at one point in time. It can happen because they are nervous or under stress, because of a side-effect of medication being taken or dental conditions and other causes. But if you have a dry mouth frequently or all of the time, it can be a sign of certain diseases or other serious conditions.

Dry mouth can cause difficulties in tasting, chewing, swallowing, and speaking and can increase your chance of developing dental decay and other infections in the mouth. If you have experienced dry mouth for a prolonged amount of time then you should see your dentist or physician and as ask what can be done to obtain relief.

Some of the symptoms of dry mouth include:

• A dry and sticky feeling in the mouth
• A problem with chewing, swallowing, tasting, or speaking
• A burning sensation in the mouth
• Dry throat
• Cracked lips

What are some of the causes of dry mouth?

People get dry mouth when:

• Glands in the mouth that make saliva are not working properly.
• Side effects of some medicines - More than 400 medicines can cause the salivary glands to make less saliva.
• Disease - Some diseases affect the salivary glands. Sjögren's syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes can all cause dry mouth.
• Radiation therapy - The salivary glands can be damaged if they are exposed to radiation during cancer treatment.
• Chemotherapy - Drugs used to treat cancer can make saliva thicker, causing the mouth to feel dry.
• Nerve damage - Injury to the head or neck can damage the nerves that tell salivary glands to make saliva.

What can be done about dry mouth?

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) suggest the following:

Dry mouth treatment will depend on what is causing the problem. If you think you have dry mouth, see your dentist or physician. He or she can try to determine what is causing your dry mouth. If your dry mouth is caused by medicine, your physician might change your medicine or adjust the dosage.

If your salivary glands are not working right but can still produce some saliva, your physician or dentist might give you a medicine that helps the glands work better.

Your physician or dentist might suggest that you use artificial saliva to keep your mouth wet.

Resources: NIH Publication No. 10-3174